Top prospect De Vries has Padres camp buzzing after impressive at-bat

PEORIA, Ariz. -- It was only one at-bat in the ninth inning of a Cactus League game in February. And yet Leo De Vries' opposite-field double against the Angels on Tuesday afternoon set Padres camp abuzz.

In a singular sequence, it captured everything about why San Diego is so high on the 18-year-old shortstop, recently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the sport¡¯s No. 18 overall prospect.

Leading off the ninth, De Vries fell behind 0-2 against Angels right-hander Brady Choban. He proceeded to lay off three tricky pitches below the zone, working the count full. When Choban dotted a high fastball on the outer half of the plate, De Vries went with the pitch, lacing it to the opposite field for a double.

¡°I feel like that¡¯s a good representation of who I am as a ballplayer -- selective, control the zone,¡± De Vries said a day later through interpreter Danny Sanchez. ¡°And at that point in the game, the team needed me. Down by two, I needed to get on base. So I think it¡¯s a good reflection of who I am.¡±

The swing. The approach. The mindset. The Padres loved all of it.

¡°We talk about situational awareness,¡± manager Mike Shildt said. ¡°He could¡¯ve easily been like, ¡®You know what, I¡¯m going to go up there, get my swing off, maybe hit a homer and show everybody what I can do.¡¯ But the scoreboard told him it was 2-0, and we needed somebody to get on base and start a rally. He took a good at-bat.

¡°And because he had the right approach, that¡¯s probably a pretty good reason he doesn¡¯t chase some balls. Then he ends up lacing a ball into the left-center gap. Now we¡¯ve got a good approach coupled with a real talent. That¡¯s a pretty special thing.¡±

A day later, De Vries pulled off more or less the same feat, facing the White Sox in Glendale on Wednesday. He fell behind 0-2 against former Padres reliever Dan Altavilla, before working the count full. This time, he lined a single into center.

The Padres envision more where that came from. It¡¯s why they¡¯re giving De Vries a serious look early in big league camp this spring, even though he¡¯s destined to open the year in the Minors. They¡¯ve stationed his locker between veterans Xander Bogaerts and Jason Heyward.

Only a year ago, De Vries hadn¡¯t yet set foot in the United States. Heck, he¡¯d never even flown on a plane before reporting to Peoria in early March. The top-ranked international prospect in last year¡¯s class, De Vries quickly began to turn heads.

As a 17-year-old, he more than held his own at Single-A Lake Elsinore, finishing the year with a .237 batting average and an .803 OPS. He dealt with injuries to both shoulders, one at the start of the season and one at the end. De Vries¡¯ early numbers were impacted by the first injury, and his regular season ended early because of the second. But he mashed in July and August, slashing .284/.407/.589 across 35 games.

Now, De Vries is in big league camp, potentially the Padres¡¯ shortstop of the future. He¡¯s been overmatched a couple times -- to be expected from an 18-year-old facing big league competition. But he¡¯s mostly held his own. On Sunday, he made an impressive diving stop at short to rob Mookie Betts of a hit.

For now, De Vries is merely trying to soak it all in.

¡°It¡¯s incredible being around all these superstars,¡± De Vries said. ¡°That¡¯s something you dream about. Going into my second year, it¡¯s all been a dream come true.¡±