Matt Dominguez - AAA Third Baseman
Dominguez was the Marlins' 1st round pick in 2007, drafted as a shortstop out of Chatsworth High School in Chatsworth, CA. His move to third wasn't so much related to his fielding, as he profiles as a plus defender, as it was the presence of Hanley Ramirez. His first full season in the minors he put up good numbers, especially for an 18 year old, including 18 home runs and an .853 OPS for Greensboro in the Sally League. Since then, his performance has been consistent, with an OPS in the mid to low .700s and double digit home runs, while continuing to be at least a year younger than his competition. This year he's hitting .234/.291/.357 for AAA New Orleans, though he may still be recovering from a bout with mono last season. He has consistently displayed average to slightly-above-average walk rates while improving his strikeout rates as he's moved up. Dominguez came into the season ranked 74th on MLB.com's top 100 prospect list, 2nd on the Marlins' prospect ranking, and 8th on their top ten third base prospect list. The only named comp I've seen for him is Pedro Feliz, but with a better walk rate. Before that scares too many Astros fans, remember that Feliz was an above average third baseman for several years with the Giants and Phillies.
I've never seen him play, so that's about what I can glean from his numbers. What do those who have seen him and are smarter than me say?
Wherever he plays, though, Dominguez is a quality bat, though not a great one, and he has the potential to be a solid MLB contributor and premium defender. - ScoutingBook.com
"He's a complete player, other than not running. He's a baseball player who's very far along. He's been in the baseball eye for a long time. There's no question his bat was underrated. He does everything well and he's just a real smart player. He understands the game well." -- Jim Fleming, Marlins VP of Player Development and Scouting (2009)
Upside potential: All-Star-caliber third baseman who is a run-producer and Gold Glover; a Scott Rolen type. - MLB Top 50 from 2009
His glove is ready for the big leagues now, but it remains to be seen if he's ready to hit Major League pitching full time. - MLB 2012 Prospect Watch
Rob Rasmussen - High A Starting Pitcher
Rasmussen was the Marlins' 2nd round pick in 2010 out of UCLA. His first full season was at A+ Jupiter in the Florida State League, where he put up a 3.64 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9. This season he's putting up similar numbers at the same level, though he has reduced his walk rate some. He doesn't show a big platoon split, so the usual fallback as a lefty specialist doesn't really make sense here. The biggest key for Rasmussen is his control. MLB named Rasmussen the Marlins' #9 prospect coming into 2012.
What do the smart people say?
He has a good combination of stuff and pitchability, with perhaps command being the only thing standing in his way from consistent success. - MLB 2012 Prospect Watch
Rasmussen is undersized at 5-9, 160, but he has good arm strength and works in the low-90s, mixing in a curve, slider, and changeup. - Minor League Ball
Extremely competitive and intelligent pitcher, up-tempo bulldog. Has the intangibles to pitch above his physical grades at the major league level. - Baseball Prospect Report
He will probably be given at least an opportunity at longer work in pro ball first, but he's an obvious lights-out reliever in the making already. - ScoutingBook.com
