Davalillo’s grandfather Pompeyo and great-uncle Vic both played in the Majors, while his father, David, reached Double-A before continuing in baseball as a manager and scout and David's younger brother, Gabriel, signed with the Angels for $2 million in January. Davalillo had a more humbling entry into pro ball, signing with the Mets for $30,000 in January 2021, having the deal voided two months later and hooking up with the Rangers for $10,000 in June 2022. He raised his profile significantly by leading the Minors with a 1.88 ERA between two Class A stops last season.
Davalillo’s low-80s splitter generated a 58 percent swing-and-miss rate last year and is the lone pitch in his arsenal that grades as better than average. His fastball sits in the low 90s and maxes out at 96 mph, and he’ll ride four-seamers up at the letters and sink two-seamers down at the knees. He has some feel for spinning the ball with his sweeping 78-82 mph slider more effective than his mid-70s curveball, but both could use more power.
Though Davalillo doesn’t have the smoothest delivery, he repeats it well. He throws strikes with his entire repertoire, commands his fastball well and sequences his pitches well. He has some of the system’s best feel for pitching, giving him a chance to succeed as a back-of-the-rotation starter.
