Great Lakes Loons outfielder Carlos Rincon was signed as an international free agent by the Dodgers in 2015. The native of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic was signed for $350,000.

Rincon split his time in 2016 equally between the DSL Dodgers and the AZL Dodgers, playing 26 games at each level. With the DSL Dodgers, he hit .364 with six home runs and 26 runs batted in. That performance earned the 6’3”/190-pound right-handed hitter a promotion to the AZL Dodgers on July 22. In the Arizona League, he hit .301 with seven home runs and 23 runs batted in. Seventeen of his 31 hits were for extra bases. He played primarily right field where he had seven outfield assists.

He was assigned to the Loons to begin the 2016 season and lit up the league in April hitting .343 with six home runs and 15 runs batted in.

Rincon cooled off in May and June, spending one stint on the 7-day DL, and facing pitching that had adjusted to him. His batting average on the year tumbled to .230 with an OBP of .299. His 11 home runs are still only two behind league leader Emmanuel Tapia of the Lake County Captains.

After getting off to a red hot start to the 2017 season, Rincon cooled off a bit … until Monday night’s Midwest League Home Run Derby, that is.
(Photo courtesy of the Great Lakes Loons)

Terms that are frequently used to describe Rincon’s hitting are “aggressive“ and “raw.” He hits the ball extremely hard with that distinctive sharp sound off the bat. He also has struck out perhaps too often and will have to make his own adjustments to the pitching in the Midwest League to regain the confidence he displayed early in the season.

According to his manager, Jeremy Rodriguez, adjustments are already being made and ready for testing: “He has a natural swing path to hit homers,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve made some adjustments in batting practice, and it looks like it paid off. Hopefully, he carries those adjustments into the rest of the season.”

Back on April 9 in Lansing, Rincon demonstrated his raw power as he hit his first home run of the season and it was a tape measure job. His blast was tracked out to 455 feet, but was stopped by an apartment complex in center field. Lugnuts broadcaster Jesse Goldberg-Strassler said it was the farthest home run hit in Lansing since the “Outfield Lofts” went up.

Rincon did not make the Midwest League All-Star team but was selected by his manager to participate in the Home Run Derby at Dow Diamond in Midland on Monday.

The derby consisted of three rounds, beginning with eight players. In the first round, Rincon hit five home runs while Blue Jays prospect Guerrero Jr. paced the competition with eight, and the two advanced with Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. and Tigers farmhand Blaise Salter. The 19-year-old Great Lakes’ right fielder led the second round with 13, including nine in the first minute, with Guerrero Jr. advancing to the third round with 11.

The first two rounds were three-minute rounds while the third round had an additional minute tacked on. In the third round Rincon hit an amazing 20 home runs, mostly over the left field fence, with several of them leaving the stadium. For good measure, he homered on his first and last pitch of the finals to put an exclamation mark on his performance. Guerrero gave up swinging when he realized he could not approach Rincon’s total and would settle for five home runs in the final round.

The derby will certainly be a confidence booster for Rincon and was definitely a treat, although played in the rain, for the fans at Dow Diamond whose loud cheers bolstered the young slugger.

Dodgers outfield prospect Carlos Rincon put on a spectacular display of power to win Monday night’s Midwest League Home Run Derby at Dow Diamond.
(Photo courtesy of MI Sports Now)

I have never thought that home run derbies did much for the hitters participating in the slugfest but reconsidered my point of view when Loons manager Jeremy Rodriguez used this year’s edition in the Midwest League as a teachable moment for Rincon and himself. It helped Rodriguez see what happens with the more relaxed side of his young player, and he hopes and believes it is an indication of the success still to come.

“His first round, he was trying to hit home runs,” Rodriguez said of Rincon. “I could tell (later) he was getting a little bit tired. He was just using his hands, which actually was a valuable lesson for us, because now we can tell him, ‘Carlos, you don’t have to try to hit home runs, just do the same thing you did the last two rounds of the derby and you’ll be fine.

“You can tell he was just taking nice, easy swings,” Rodriguez added. “The thing he doesn’t realize yet for a 19-year-old is that he has scary power. And it comes to life when he doesn’t try to use it.”

The Loons open the second half of the season on Thursday against the Cubs in South Bend. It will indeed be interesting to see how Carlos Rincon applies the adjustments he has made. His manager is expecting him to overcome his sluggish May and June and begin hitting the ball to all parts of the park.

“He’s a special player and a special hitter, and it’s nice to see him get the recognition that he’s worked so hard for,” Rodriguez said. “He showed (his abilities) tonight, and will definitely show something in the second half for us. The organization would like him to spread the ball around to all fields. Carlos is growing into a great player.”