Even though they are in cost-cutting mode and recently traded All-Star outfielder Juan Soto, the San Diego Padres refuse to give up on the 2024 season and have acquired some players that can help this year and in the future.
Yuki Matsui, Woo Suk Go, Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Enyel De Los Santos, and Randy Vasquez all should help in 2024 and possibly in the future.
Speaking of the future, it’s something that the Padres very much have in mind.
On this day a year ago, they secured the top prospect in the international free agent market, catcher Ethan Salas.
Now, on Monday, they did the same thing: beating everybody else for the best prospect available.
“The Padres have agreed to a deal with 17-year-old Dominican shortstop Leo De Vries, the No. 1 prospect in this year’s international signing class,” MLB Pipeline tweeted.
The Padres have agreed to a deal with 17-year-old Dominican shortstop Leo De Vries, the No. 1 prospect in this year’s international signing class.
More details: https://t.co/jQ35Fuh0kZ pic.twitter.com/SgyCEydqzs
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) January 15, 2024
According to MLB Pipeline, De Vries has everything to be considered a future star.
“The 17-year-old De Vries has advanced hitting ability with the potential to tap into power from both sides. His loose natural rhythm could develop into 20-homer power, according to some evaluators. He takes his walks and displays plus pitch recognition, an advanced skill for his age,” they wrote.
His skillset looks a lot like Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts, and San Diego surely would be happy if that’s his outcome as a player.
For now, they will take it easy with De Vries, spending the upcoming weeks training in his native Dominican Republic at the Padres’ academy.
Once again, the Friars made a statement in the international amateur market.
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