A Gamble On Rayne Doncon’s Upside Pays Off For Twins


Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey recalls the club’s assessment of Rayne Doncon not being that great. The Dodgers shortstop prospect’s name came up as the teams were trying to complete a trade of Manuel Margot to Minnesota in February 2024.
“I’m not sure we were convinced it was a match at first,” Falvey said. “He had a rough year in Low-A (in 2023).”
But then the Twins’ new international scouting director Roman Barinas, who had worked in the Dodgers’ front office for 16 years, spoke up. He had signed Doncon in 2021 when the Dominican Republic native was 17.
“He explained that this kid was a little raw, even for his age,” Falvey said. “ He hadn’t had much exposure to coaching, to advanced training, when he signed. Barinas knew (Doncon’s) development might lag a bit until he had more exposure to the development tools that teams can provide.”
With Barinas as Doncon’s advocate, the Twins accepted him in the Margot deal—and now wonder if it will someday be known as the Rayne Doncon trade.
“We identified some things right away that we thought could help him, some potential tweaks mechanically. And he really took that information to heart,” Falvey said. “He was still just 20, but his approach, his ability to put the barrel on the ball, has matured probably better than we could have hoped.”
Dividing time between shortstop and third base, Doncon spent just seven weeks at Low-A Fort Myers before his .838 OPS got him promoted to High-A Cedar Rapids. Doncon slugged seven homers in 56 games and made even more strides defensively.
On the season, Doncon hit .254/.342/.431 with 11 homers in 94 games.
“He’s growing into his body, becoming more confident,” Falvey said. “He always had interesting, high-end physical tools, but it took him a while to figure out how to use them. Roman was right—you’ve got to be patient with the really young guys.
“But that patience can really pay off.”