Padres teen phenom De Vries' day: Cycle, 2 HRs, 5 hits, 8 RBIs

The stars, the planets and everything in between aligned perfectly for Leo De Vries on Tuesday night.

"El Mutante" did not disappoint.

De Vries put together one of the best single-game performances in club history, made all the more impressive considering he's only 18 years old. MLB Pipeline's No. 17 prospect hit for the cycle, swatting a pair of homers and driving in eight runs during a five-hit night to help High-A Fort Wayne edge Lansing, 15-14, during a wild back-and-forth affair at Jackson Field.

De Vries finished with four extra-base hits and matched a club record with eight RBIs while becoming the third TinCap to complete the cycle.

Fort Wayne manager Lukas Ray had a bird's-eye view of his young talent from the third-base coach's box.

"He¡¯s been taking great at-bats all year," Ray said. "He hit into some poor luck and a few hits didn't fall. Tonight, though, was one of those nights. I didn't know what exactly what type of hits he'd get, but you could just feel he was going to find some holes."

Did he ever.

To put De Vries game into historical context, only seven Major Leaguers have hit for the cycle during a two-homer game since 1901:

Greg Colbrunn, AZ, Sept. 18, 2002
George Brett, KC, May 28, 1975
Carl Yastrzemski, BOS, May 14, 1965
Ralph Kiner, PIT, June 25, 1950
Gil Hodges, BRO, June 25, 1949
Joe DiMaggio, NYY, May 20, 1948 and July 7, 1939
Ed Lennox, PIT (Federal League), May 6, 1914

The feat has been accomplished 13 times in the Minors since 2005, most recently Tigers infielder Colt Keith for Double-A Erie on May 17, 2023.

"Leo had some very good takes right outside the zone," Ray said. "He was ready early in the count. He was ready with two strikes. He showed tonight why we feel he's the best player in the Midwest League."

Cycle aside, De Vries was already in the midst of a career night after going deep twice and doubling in his first three at-bats. MLB's No. 2 international prospect in 2024 stayed perfect with a two-run single in the sixth and added a sacrifice fly the next frame.

With the score tied in the ninth, De Vries roped his second triple of the season to complete the cycle and drive home two more, giving him Fort Wayne's first eight-RBI game since Agust¨ªn Ram¨ªrez (MIA No. 4) in 2021. It was the first TinCaps cycle since Gabriel Arias in 2018.

The two-homer night was the second of De Vries' career, his first coming last July 5 with Single-A Lake Elsinore.

"Consistency is the key to any player and that's what we're looking for from Leo," Ray said. "Whether he goes 5-for-5 or 0-for-5, good players find something to get better at and that's what he does. He shows up and plays like he's the best player in the world no matter what happened the night before."

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Ray, in his first year as skipper of Fort Wayne, made an interesting comparison when asked what impresses him the most about De Vries.

"This might sound a little crazy, but I compare him to Michael Jordan," the manager said. "I've studied [Jordan] a lot and what separated him from everybody else outside of his physical talent. Leo's a competitor and he only wants to get better. If you want him to do something, just tell him he can't do it.

"There's a reason they call him 'El Mutante.'"