Vic Davalillo’s Grandson A Los Angeles Angels Prospect

Gabriel Davalillo turned age 17 in November. Two months later, the catcher received a $2 million international signing bonus from the Los Angeles Angels.

He is the fifth member of the Venezuelan family to sign with an MLB team and already the richest. His bonus is about eight times more money than his grandfather Vic Davalillo earned over a 24-year career as a professional, including 16 seasons with six Major League ballclubs.

Gabriel was acclaimed as the No. 1 catching prospect in the 2025 international class when he signed in January. At 5-11, 210 pounds, he’s built like Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez and current New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez.

Scouts like Davalillo’s quick hands and short, powerful right-handed swing. That and a strong arm enticed many teams. His lack of speed is completely different from his grandfather and he’s not exactly nimble behind the plate. Defensively, he’s a big project. Offensively, he has big potential.

Davalillo played for Venezuela at age 16 in the Under-18 Baseball World Cup in 2023. In eight games, he went 4-for-23, drawing six walks and striking out four times.

Great Uncle Pompeyo

Gabriel’s great uncle, nicknamed Yo-Yo, was the first in the clan to reach the majors in 1953 with the Washington Senators shortly after signing at age 25. A shortstop, he hit .306 with 78 runs and 24 stolen bases in 105 games at Class B Charlotte to earn a quick callup. He was one of the smallest men in big-league history at 5-3, 140 pounds.

He went 3-for-5 and scored twice in his third MLB game, an 11-0 rout of the Cleveland Indians. The next night, he went 2-for-3 with two runs off legendary Hall of Famer Bob Feller. Overall in 19 games he batted .293.

Yo Yo never returned to the majors again, however, as he broke an ankle and kneecap playing winter ball and missed all of 1954. He played six more years in Triple-A, then went to Mexico and became a manager there.

Grandfather Vic

Known as Vitico in Venezuela, he was signed by the Cincinnati Reds as a pitcher in 1958. Supposedly, the family told scouts he was 18, though some records show he was 21. That dispute went on for years and only became a particularly interesting issue when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers at age 40 (43?) in 1980.

The 5-7, 150-pound lefty had a 16-7 record and 2.45 ERA at Palatka of the Class D Florida State League in 1959. He also hit .291 and so was turned into a pitcher-outfielder the next two years.

Cleveland bought his contract and put him in center-field for Triple-A Jacksonville, where he hit .346 with 11 homers, 99 runs and 24 steals and was the 1962 International League MVP.

The next year, he was in Cleveland and hitting .304 when his arm was broken by a pitch from the Detroit Tigers’ Hank Aguirre. He missed two months.

When he came back, it seemed that Vic bailed out on every pitch. Fans and management criticized him and even Vic admitted he was terrified at the plate, even though he hit .292 overall. In 5 1/2 seasons in Cleveland, he hit .278 with 25 homers, 72 steals, won a gold glove and made an all-star team. Pretty good despite what some others thought.

He was dealt to the Angels in 1968, the Cardinals in ’69 and the Pirates in ’71, rarely facing a lefty pitcher. He lined a pinch-single off future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer in the 1971 World Series. He hit .318 as a regular for the Pirates in 1972, then was traded to Oakland. He hit .184 over 55 games and was released at age 34.

Undaunted, he went to Mexico and hit .355, .333 and .374 against all types of pitching. The Dodgers signed him as a pinch-hitter and he batted .313 in 99 games the next two years. His great bunt sparked the Dodgers in the 1977 NL Championship Series.

Released in 1980, he went back to Mexico and went out on his terms, batting a blistering .394 in his final 94 games as a pro.

Dad David And Brother David

Vic’s son and Gabriel’s father David was an infielder in the Angels system, 1994-98. In 468 games overall, he hit .254. He has continued his career as a scout and manager.

Gabriel’s older brother David, 22, is a very promising right-handed pitcher in the Texas Rangers’ system. In 35 career games, he has a 9-3 record and 2.23 ERA.

Though he has made 25 starts, scouts project him as a reliever due to his strike-throwing ability from a rather odd delivery. He has an exemplary split-finger sinker that gets plenty of strikeouts.

Gabriel Davalillo’s Future

The youngster’s ability to develop defensively and progress offensively will tell the tale. He’s an extremely raw talent yet to play his first pro game but has the athletic lineage combined with a feel for the game from his family. That’s one reason he already is ranked as the Angels’ No. 14 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

Learning to work with pitchers, call a game and frame pitches can get even a weak hitter an MLB job and keep him there. The ability to drive a ball to all fields, as Davalillo has shown, would be a plus.

It may take a few years of frustration and growing pains, but right now Gabriel Davalillo appears to be a prospect to follow.