Washington Nationals: Meet Chris Dominguez

Meet Chris Dominguez, a career minor-leaguer having a blistering spring training as he tries to carve out a role with the Washington Nationals.

We’ve now had a month of Washington Nationals spring training. So I’m sure you’ve all heard the spring training cliche enough at this point. “Spring training stats don’t matter.” And to some extent, it’s correct. For example, Joey Votto is hitting .133 and nobody is concerned about this.

But they do matter on some occasions, such as fighting for the last few roster spots on the team.

One example of this is Chris Dominguez, a 31-year-old minor league veteran the Nationals signed in December. He was a relative afterthought, only brought in to be an extra body in camp to give the big boys a rest during the spring.

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That was before he became a man on a mission, hitting .351 with a team-leading three homers and a 1.027 OPS. He has even made an interesting case to open the season as a bench player for the Nats.

Dominguez was originally a third-round pick by the San Francisco Giants way back in 2009. After a stumble as he got towards the upper-levels of the system, he finally made his major-league debut with the Giants in 2014.

It didn’t go as he had planned, with only had one hit in 17 at-bats. Although his one hit was an absolute bomb over the fence at Petco Park. By the end of the season, he was released.

He had another brief stint in the majors with the Cincinnati Reds in 2015, followed by a couple solid years in Triple-A for the Pawtucket Red Sox and Iowa Cubs. Now, he’s tearing the cover off the ball this spring in West Palm Beach.

Dominguez’s hot spring brings back memories of Clint Robinson, another late-bloomer Mike Rizzo took a chance on. Robinson spent the vast majority of his seven-year career in the minors. Then, after hitting .333 with two HRs and eight RBI, he made the Nationals opening day roster in 2015.

Robinson went on to play 230 games with the Nats between 2015 and 2016, spelling veterans Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth. This is the blueprint for Dominguez to follow.

Dominguez faces more competition for a roster spot than Robinson did, though. Matt Adams is the clear backup to Zimmerman this time around, while Matt Reynolds or Adrian Sanchez, who offer more versatility, will cover for Anthony Rendon.

This occupies the reserve roles for Dominguez’s two primary positions, so he is likely an injury away from being promoted to the big-league club. But it’s impossible to ignore the impression he has made this spring.

Next: Wilmer Difo should begin the year in the minors

And should Dominguez continue to rake in Syracuse to start the year, he’ll put himself at the front of the queue for a call-up if and when injuries hit.

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