The Dodgers’ Belief in Charles Davalan Has Evolved into a Fascinating Story of Development
What began as a belief in Davalan’s potential has evolved into a fascinating story of player development.
COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — If there is one thing Charles Davalan has grown accustomed to, it’s adaptation.
Born in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, Charles, or Chuck to those who know him well, was raised by his French father, Lucien, and Canadian mother, Paula, with French as his first language. At two years old, Davalan’s family relocated to Montreal, Quebec.
With Davalan’s mother growing up in an English-speaking portion of Canada, it gave him the chance to speak English with her while still speaking French within his family.
An admiration for Ryan Goins and the Toronto Blue Jays proved to be a driving force behind Davalan’s appreciation for baseball at an early age.
“I was a huge fan of the Blue Jays growing up,” Davalan said. “My favorite player was Ryan Goins. I used to be a lefty-hitting second baseman, so he was kind of someone I could look up to.”
As expected, hockey was a fixture in Davalan’s early life, but after discovering baseball, there was something that grabbed at Davalan’s naturally competitive nature that convinced him to pursue it further.
“I always got excited to go play baseball,” Davalan said. “I guess it was the difficulty of the sports where you fail a lot. It’s something that just stuck with me. I’m not going to say I love failing; it’s just that the sport is so hard, and you get rewarded for it. When you get rewarded, it feels awesome. I guess that’s why I stuck with baseball.”
Positioning himself as one of Canada’s top amateur baseball prospects, Davalan focused on his development at Académie Baseball Canada in Quebec.
With condensed seasons, weather-related challenges, and limited exposure to competitive programs, Davalan chose to relocate to Ocoee, Florida, to attend TNXL Academy for his final year of high school.
The move allowed Davalan to gain exposure while showcasing his athleticism and speed at a higher level of competition, ultimately leading him to commit to Florida Gulf Coast University.
Davalan would spend a year with the Eagles, slashing .288/.413/.514 with a .927 OPS, 10 home runs, and 13 stolen bases. After deciding to enter the transfer portal, University of Arkansas hitting coach Nate Thompson and the Razorback coaching staff took notice.
Looking back, Thompson still gets a laugh about his first impression of the versatile defender.
“It was kind of funny,” Thompson said. “(Davalan) entered the transfer portal during the recruiting process. We had a visit and everything, and he was, honestly, probably the most polite and nice young man I’d ever spoken with. To the point where. I was kind of starting to worry a little bit about his competitiveness.”
Davalan knew what Arkansas baseball represented. He also knew it was the right place for him to take the next step in his development.
With a proven track record of developing professional prospects, the Razorbacks have become a fixture in the postseason. Since 2018, the program has produced 32 MLB Draft selections, 22 All-SEC honorees, and 13 All-Americans.
Simply put, player development had become a cornerstone of Arkansas baseball.
“As soon as we got him on campus, he was very fun-loving and just a great team guy and the kind of guy that people would just wanna hang out with,” Thompson said. “He loved to play, he loved to win, and he had a real passion to develop and take his game to another level.
“He was the kind of guy who wanted to hit extra all the time,” Thompson said. “He wanted extra batting practice and training just because he felt like that’s what he needed and that’s what he wanted, and he had another level to go to.”
For Davalan, taking his game to the next level also meant specific work in the weight room, work he credits the Arkansas strength team for guiding him in the right direction.
“At Arkansas, the strength coach did a great job with me,” Davalan said. “I’ve added more weight and, really, good weight. I’ve always been a decent contact hitter. It was about adding a little more power — not only increasing my exit velocity, but learning how to use that exit velocity in a way that helps me be more successful. You can hit the ball hard, but if you’re always hitting it on the ground, you’re not going to have as much success.”
Davalan had found his rhythm, and the numbers on paper confirmed it.
Over 65 games with the Razorbacks, Davalan slashed .346/.433/.561 with a .994 OPS, 28 extra-base hits, and 60 RBI.
On the professional side, Davalan’s performance became a talking point, and the Los Angeles Dodgers were watching. As the 2025 MLB draft rolled around, the Dodgers followed their instinct and selected the Canadian native 41st overall as their CB-A draft selection.
“We thought Chuck was one of, if not the best pure hitters in the ’25 draft,” Will Rhymes, Dodgers vice president of player development, said. “His performance in the SEC was outstanding; he had more extra-base hits than strikeouts. We really believe in his unique hitability and his makeup.”
Making his professional debut with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga that same year, Davaloan may have only played eight games, but his offensive contribution throughout that stretch was astounding.
In three of his first five games, Davalan posted consecutive four-hit outings, totaling 15 hits over his first five professional games and slashing .625/.654/.958.
In 2026, the 22-year-old found his way to the Midwest League with the Great Lakes Loons and wasted no time in picking right back up where he left off.
Through April, Davalan slashed .302/.394/.581 with 26 hits, 12 extra-base hits, and 17 RBI over 22 games in his first full season of professional baseball.
Davalan’s decision to stay true to his routine wasn’t surprising. That routine has steadily developed an identity that few players reflect at such a young age, but for Davalan, it just came naturally.
“Chuck’s routine is more reminiscent of a major league veteran than a first-year player,” Rhymes said. “I’m not sure we’ve had a first-year player with such a good idea of what they need to do every day to prepare and perform.
“He does a good job of working to improve with the long-term in mind (especially during the off-season), asking questions and being curious, then he has the ability to shut everything off and go grind out every ab and just compete,” Rhymes added.
Ninety-two games into the regular season with Great Lakes, Davalan continues to validate the Dodgers’ belief in him.
He leads the Midwest League in hits (106) and doubles (26), while ranking among the league’s top three in runs (84), slugging percentage (.547), and OPS (.963).
For Rhymes and the rest of the Dodgers’ front office, the production comes as little surprise.
What began as a belief in Davalan’s potential has evolved into a fascinating story of player development.
“We talk about wanting our hitters to have an identity, and to understand themselves as hitters by the time they reach LA,” Rhymes said. “He already has that understanding.”
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