Padres top prospect De Vries has ability to be team's 'spark plug'

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Late last August, after Padres prospect Leo De Vries suffered the right shoulder injury that would eventually end his first professional season, farm director Ryley Westman briefly raised the possibility of sending him to the team's Spring Training complex in Peoria. There, San Diego's staff could closely monitor De Vries¡¯ recovery.

Of course, the Padres would also be taking one of their most exciting prospects out of his preferred habitat -- on a baseball field, in a baseball clubhouse, part of meaningful baseball games. The staff at Single-A Lake Elsinore pushed back on the idea. They were in the midst of a run to the California League Championship Series. De Vries, whether he was on the field or not, would be an integral part of that push.

¡°He was the energy,¡± then-Lake Elsinore manager Lukas Ray said. ¡°He was a huge spark plug for our dugout. We were like: ¡®We need him here.¡¯¡±

¡°I wanted to be there,¡± De Vries said through interpreter Danny Sanchez. ¡°It¡¯s all about supporting my teammates and being there for them. I wanted to be there in the dugout to bring that energy, bring that support.¡±

Westman relented. He¡¯d seen it, too, after all. There was that time earlier in the season when the Storm were game-planning for that day¡¯s opposing starter. A room full of hitters was informed they¡¯d be facing a velocity monster, capable of hitting 100 mph.

That elicited a groan or two around the room. De Vries was having none of that. He began to clap his hands, pumping the room up, Westman recalled.

Earlier in the season, with the Storm fighting for a first-half division title, they faced Rancho Cucamonga, the Dodgers¡¯ Single-A affiliate. They¡¯d faced Rancho before, but this time, De Vries didn¡¯t recognize one of the names in the projected rotation. He was informed that Bobby Miller was a Major Leaguer making a rehab start.

¡°He was like: ¡®Hell yeah, finally we get to face a big dog,¡¯¡± Ray recalled -- and the Storm would proceed to tag Miller for four runs over 3 1/3 innings and win the game, 15-5.

De Vries¡¯ natural talent is undeniable. He¡¯s an 18-year-old switch-hitting shortstop with five tools, set to star for the Padres in Friday¡¯s Spring Breakout game against the A¡¯s -- a showcase of the top prospects in both organizations. On MLB Pipeline¡¯s recently released Top 100 Prospects list, he ranked 18th overall, the second-youngest player on the list.

A little over a year ago, De Vries signed with San Diego as the top prospect of his international class. When he arrived in Peoria in March -- a 17-year-old who¡¯d flown on a plane for the very first time one day prior -- he was thrust into big league intrasquad games and held his own.

Still, there¡¯s more that the Padres are excited about than the obvious natural ability of De Vries, who earned an invite to big league Spring Training before he was reassigned to Minor League camp last week. They¡¯ve come away just as impressed with his unrelenting love of baseball -- and, more importantly, the way it rubs off on his teammates.

¡°Even in the brief time in big league Spring Training, you can tell,¡± general manager A.J. Preller said. ¡°You can tell he has a love for the competition, a love for the game of baseball. What was impressive for me was his ability, on the field, to move and direct traffic, to see the game. You don¡¯t usually see that in a young player. I think it¡¯s that he¡¯s played a lot of baseball in the Dominican. That came through in big league camp.¡±

De Vries says his playing style is natural -- in that it¡¯s a product of his time in the Dominican Republic. A native of Azua, he grew up watching another switch-hitting infielder from nearby Bani -- Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez. He also cites former Padre Franmil Reyes as an influence. De Vries says he noticed from a young age that the most successful Dominican players seemed to be the ones who enjoyed themselves the most.

¡°I¡¯ve been able to be around a lot of big leaguers, a lot of really good ballplayers out of the Dominican,¡± De Vries said. ¡°That¡¯s the style I play with. I¡¯m always having fun. I¡¯m always having a good time. I¡¯m always playing loose with my teammates.¡±

Even still, De Vries seems ¡­ different. Like the hottest day of the summer in Lake Elsinore last year, well over 100 degrees. De Vries didn¡¯t seek shade while his teammates were hitting. He stood on the back of the cage. Every ball that looked like it might leave the yard, De Vries shouted, ¡°S¨ª o No? S¨ª o No?¡± at his teammates. He sang, he danced and he watched it all very closely. And then, he stepped into the cage.

¡°Every time Leo steps in for his cuts, he¡¯s laser focused,¡± recalled a team evaluator. ¡°[He has] that balance of having tons of fun playing baseball and being a laser-focused competitor like you see with his plate discipline at 18 against big leaguers.¡±

In a late February game against the Angels, De Vries fell behind 0-2 against right-hander Brady Choban. He proceeded to lay off three pitches out of the strike zone, before lacing a 3-2 pitch for a double. The at-bat was the talk of Padres camp for a day.

And then, De Vries did it again the following afternoon in Glendale against White Sox righty Dan Altavilla. De Vries fell behind 0-2 and worked the count full before spraying a line-drive single into center field.

¡°I feel like that¡¯s a good representation of who I am as a ballplayer,¡± De Vries said at the time. ¡°Selective, control the zone.¡±

De Vries¡¯ advanced skill set might have him on a fast track to the big leagues. (The Padres, after all, have never been shy about moving their prospects quickly.) Still, he¡¯s probably at least a year away from a breakthrough. But considering his upside, some evaluators see No. 1 overall prospect potential when the 2026 list is released.

In his 2024 season, De Vries batted .237 with an .802 OPS for Lake Elsinore. But those numbers don¡¯t do him justice. He dealt with injuries to both shoulders, one at the start of the season and one at the end. In July and August, he slashed .284/.407/.589 across 35 games.

¡°In the California League, every night you knew he was the best player on the field,¡± Ray said. ¡°He didn¡¯t have to go 3-for-4, hit a homer. He still did something that showed everybody he was the best player on the field every night.

¡°And then, from a mentality standpoint, he even made our staff enjoy baseball [more]. It¡¯s like, this is a kid¡¯s game. He¡¯s having so much fun. He¡¯s showing up ready, whether he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts last night or 4-for-4 with two homers.¡±

With a year of pro ball under his belt, De Vries is clearly on an upward trajectory. He¡¯s the Padres¡¯ No. 1 prospect and perhaps their shortstop of the future. He says he only has two goals for his 2025 season.

¡°Have fun and stay healthy,¡± De Vries said. ¡°Once I was healthy last year, I was able to show what I can do. That¡¯s the goal for me -- to be able to stay healthy for the entirety of this season. Then, just go out there and have fun.¡±

Not that De Vries knows how to do it any other way.