Tim Rogers
If you took a look at the Dodgers Top 30 Prospects list for 2022 for MLB Pipeline, you may not recognize the young man at number 22, Rayne Doncon. He played the 2021 season at the age of 17 in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) and exceeded expectations. The young man from the Dominican Republic was signed by the Dodgers in January 2021 as an international free agent in the same class as Wilman Diaz and Jesus Galiz (articles coming soon). This could end up being a historic international class for the Dodgers.
We’ll take a look at what some prospect sites say about Doncon.
Offense
Something to keep in mind is that Doncon is only 18 years old. He still has some physical maturing to do and nobody really knows about what changes will occur, if any.
One of the most advanced young bats in the system, Doncon could be a plus hitter with 20 or more homers per season if he reaches his ceiling. He repeats his simple right-handed swing with ease, has a knack for barreling balls and possesses plenty of bat speed and projectable strength. Doncon already shows the ability to drive balls in the air, though he can get overly pull-conscious. – MLB Pipeline
He has fast bat speed, excellent natural timing in the batter’s box and consistently barrels fastballs. He has a flat swing plane that results in a lot of low line drives, but he has a chance to grow into average or better power as he gets stronger and fills out physically. – Baseball America
His offensive numbers in the DSL included a slash of .283/.387/.455 with a wRC+ of 133 where a wRC+ of 100 would be considered league average. Again, this is mostly as a 17-year-old.
Here is a look at Doncon’s swing. The leg kick similarity looks a bit like Justin Turner.
Name popping at #Dodgers camp is Rayne Doncon. Here’s a base knock. pic.twitter.com/CWCHZxmQsA
— Josh Norris 🐻 (@jnorris427) March 27, 2022
Defense
While the Dodgers believe Doncon has the actions and solid arm strength to possibly remain at shortstop, he’s an average runner who might lose some quickness as he matures physically. He’s still learning to play under control in the field and likely will wind up at second or third base, with more than enough offense to profile at either spot. Club officials praise his makeup as well. – MLB Pipeline
The above is a case where they are making some assumptions about how Doncon will mature physically. To be honest, it is just a semi-educated projection. Who knows? When I see him now, he looks like a shortstop. We shall see.
Doncon remains lean and is a capable shortstop with good actions and a plus arm. He is a tick below average runner who projects to slow down as he continues to fill out, so he may eventually have to move to third base. – Baseball America
Final Thoughts
Here is a YouTube video of Rayne Doncon from March of 2021. It is raw but good to see.
As I stated earlier, the 2021 International Free Agent class with Rayne Doncon, Wilman Diaz, and Jesus Galiz could be very special. I expect Doncon to either stay another year in the DSL or to be in the Arizona Summer League this season. Who knows, maybe he could even jump all the way to Low Single-A at Rancho Cucamonga.
Make sure to give Rayne a follow on Instagram at @r_doncon07. He has a very bright future.
