Dodgers draft pick Davalan, top Canadian selected, 'super pumped' to get to work
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Charles Davalan, the first Canadian-born player selected in the 2025 MLB Draft, is set to join the Los Angeles Dodgers organization later in July.
The Waterloo, Ont. native is excited to make the step up to professional baseball after spending the last two seasons in NCAA with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Davalan joined the Morning Show on TSN690 to discuss the draft process, his success in college and his goals moving forward with the Dodgers.
"It was a great feeling, a great organization, but it's time to get to work," Davalan said on Thursday. "You just kind of have to put the past in the past and be where your feet are, concentrate on what you gotta do and start working hard. I think it's sunk in and there's a lot of steps you gotta do, realizing where your present is."
Davalan was selected in the first round of the draft on July 13 by the Dodgers, with the 41st overall selection.
He hit .346 last year with the Razorbacks, with 14 home runs over 65 games and an on-base plus slugging of .994. The 21-year-old credited his coaching staff and teammates for his strong season.
"It's really just learning how to drive pitches, generate backspin on them, we had a really great strength coach at Arkansas," Davalan said. "I have to attribute it to my coaching staff at Arkansas, surrounded by great people, learning how to drive different pitches, getting underneath the ball, getting backspin is the key."
Davalan and teammate Zach Root, whom the Dodgers selected a pick prior at No. 40, helped Arkansas advance to the semifinal round of the College World Series, the program's first appearance there since 2022.
His power at the plate was a big part of his success in college, despite his 5-foot-9, 170 pound frame, but he knows his path to the majors may look different.
After playing on the infield in Quebec as a youth, Davalan hopes his versatility on the field can help him progress through the minor leagues.
"I played second base growing up, and my freshman year I transitioned to the outfield. I just gotta get to work, practice, get as many reps as I can, I'm just trying to keep my utility and maybe play both positions and that's up to the organization, what they want to do with me, and we'll see from there."
Hard work has carried him to this point in his career, and Davalan is adamant that he will continue to progress using his work ethic and drive to ascend the minor leagues.
"You need to put your head down and work," Davalan said. "It's awesome [being a first-round pick], but it's only the beginning. Everyone's on the same level now when you get to pro ball now. It doesn't matter if you're a first-round pick, unsigned or a 20th-round pick, you just gotta put your head down, work hard and outwork everybody. That's what I'm going to do, I'm super pumped."