Daigoro Rondon

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #27 prospect in 2010
  Rondon is 23 and has yet to prove he can handle full-season ball, having posted a 6.75 ERA in stints at Great Lakes and Inland Empire during the last two seasons. But there's no denying his live fastball, which sits at 92- 93 mph and tops out at 95. Hitters have difficulty squaring up his heater, which generates plenty of strikeouts and grounders. Rondon has yet to master a second pitch, however, which is why he became a full-time reliever in 2009. He flashes a power slider with good depth but doesn't always get on top of it, causing it to flatten out and become very hittable. The bottom falls out of his changeup, much like a splitter, but he has a hard time keeping it in the strike zone. The biggest knock on Rondon is his attitude, as he's quite the showman and likes drawing attention to himself while riling opponents with his antics. Rondon also gained quite a bit of weight last offseason, not all of it muscle, and is significantly heavier than his listed weight of 163 pounds. He'll give high Class A another try in 2010.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #23 prospect in 2009
  After Rondon spent three years in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League and then excelled in 2007 in the Gulf Coast League, the Dodgers pushed him to a full-season league for the first time. Rondon opened in the Midwest League, but after getting knocked around and moved to the bullpen, he was sent down to Rookielevel Ogden for the final month to pitch in relief. There he held hitters to a .207 average, adding 41⁄3 scoreless innings in the playoffs. Rondon has an electric arm, throwing 92-96 mph with good movement on his fastball and complementing it with a sound, power slider. He continued to improve in instructional league. Rondon stays around the plate but can be immature on the mound at times, getting stubborn about pitching up in the strike zone, making him easy to read at times for hitters. His progress will be a matter of getting innings in and maturing. He'll give low Class A another shot in 2009.