Top prospect's AFL position switch has him drawing comparisons to Dodgers fan favorites

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a problem. Even if they use some of their minor league outfield depth as trade bait, they have such a glut at the position that some talented players are set to spoil on the vine. Fortunately, they've already taken steps to rectify it by moving top prospect Charles Davalan from the outfield to second base during his run in the Arizona Fall League.

Davalan finished his collegiate career at the University of Arkansas, where he mostly played left field, but he began his NCAA journey at Florida Gulf Coast University, where he spent a healthy amount of time at second base.

The 22-year-old ranks as the Dodgers' No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline, but despite that lofty ranking he's still the fourth-highest ranked outfielder in the system behind Josue De Paula, Eduardo Quintero, and Mike Sirota. That's caused him to fly under the radar, and many people don't realize how good his 2026 campaign was.

Davalan spent the year at High-A Great Lakes, save for a one-game cameo in Tulsa. Against High-A competition, he slashed .292/.402/.535 with 24 dingers and 17 steals. He walked 11.9% of the time, and most impressively struck out at just a 10.8% rate.

Charles Davalan hasn't taken off yet in the AFL, but that hasn't stopped the Dodgers youngster from earning high praise

The increasingly versatile youngster hasn't taken off with the bat yet in the AFL. That hasn't stopped evaluators like FanGraphs prospect guru Eric Longenhagen from praising what his future could look like.

In a piece about the top prospects in the autumn showcase, Longenhagen placed Davalan in the "Up Arrow Potential Stars" tier. What he had to say was really exciting.

"Davalan is revisiting second base, where he played as a freshman at Florida Gulf Coast, and it’s going well," Longenhagen wrote. "A long in-person look has also made me confident that he has meaningful juice despite being such a little guy. He’s going to be an everyday player, even if that means playing a mix of second base and left field the way Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernández would in concert with Max Muncy."

There are two big takeaways here. First, we'd all sign up for a redux of prime Chris Taylor, and any time a player gets compared to Kiké Hernández, it's a good thing. Second, the way Longenhagen writes about Davalan makes future outcomes like those two versatile fan favorites seem like his floor rather than his ceiling.

Davalan should start next season in Double-A, and if he conquers Tulsa quickly, he could see action in Oklahoma City and be in line for a major league role in 2028. That's good news because guys like Hernandez are getting long in the tooth. Tommy Edman has been injury prone and underwhelming. Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim have fumbled their opportunities.

Second base will soon be a big-time need, and versatility is always a plus. Davalan looks like a plus-starter who fills multiple positions for the Dodgers in the future, and an do so for years to come. When combined with Sirota, the Gavin Lux trade may go down as one of Andrew Friedman's greatest heists.

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