Image: (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
This Saturday, prospects from all over the league across the different levels of minor league baseball will come to Atlanta to play in the MLB All-Star Futures Game. Though not one of the most-watched events during the All-Star break, this game will showcase the next generation of baseball’s finest players and will introduce the future household names of baseball. But out of all of the prospects who will take the field this Saturday, fans should specifically focus their attention on Leo De Vries.
Leo De Vries is currently ranked the number three overall prospect on the MLB Pipeline website, but unofficially the number-one prospect since the two ahead of him (Roman Anthony and Chase Burns) are already big leaguers. He was born in Azua, Dominican Republic, and is currently 18 years old. Leo stands at 6’1” and weighs 183 pounds. He is a primary shortstop and is playing at the A+ level for the Fort Wayne TinCaps, which is a San Diego Padres minor league affiliate.
It did not take scouts very long to notice the talent of De Vries, as the Padres signed him as an international prospect in 2024 for $4.2 million. The Padres are known to splash for these international prospects, like they signed Ethan Salas for a significant amount of money. However, the Padres paying this amount of money for a prospect says a lot about De Vries.
It tells us that De Vries is a seriously talented ball player, that many other ball clubs were interested in signing him, and that the Padres organization believes that De Vries will be an elite player who will return on the $4.2 million investment. To put this money into perspective, the Padres are paying recently selected All-Star pitcher Jason Adam $4.6 million for this season (per Spotrac), and practically gave De Vries the same amount of money before stepping on an MLB diamond.
To say the least, De Vries has a high mountain to climb with tons of money invested, pressure from the media and scouts, and from the fans to perform and become the elite player that many envision him becoming one day. However, the shortstop is incredibly talented and can definitely live up to these high expectations and even surpass them. Here’s why:
His Scouting Grades on MLB.com (scale from 20-80)
Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 60
From these scouting grades, Leo is definitely an above-average ball player who has what it takes to be elite and the next level. To start with his hitting, the main reason why scouts are so high on De Vries is for his bat. As a switch hitter, De Vries brings tremendous value to the plate and can have a favorable advantage against both right and left-handed pitchers. However, it is worth noting that De Vries is noticeably more consistent and dangerous on the right side of the plate.
Both his hit and power grades are above average, and scouts believe that he has the natural talent and tools and the potential to hit for a high batting average while also providing some opportunities to hit the ball out of the park. However, scouts note that they are not completely certain or sold that De Vries will be an elite level slugger as he sees better arms throughout his time in the Minor Leagues. De Vries’s development of bringing power to the plate is truly important for him to advance as a prospect since the Home Run is nowadays one of the most important things in baseball.
In this season, his time at the plate at the A+ level in the Minor Leagues has not been incredible. However, it is also important to realize that De Vries is just 18 years old and needs time to develop and mature as a ball player. Throughout 68 games for the Fort Wayne TinCaps, De Vries has posted a slash line of .247 AVG/.360 OBP/.408 SLG, and a .768 OPS, with 6 Home Runs and 39 RBIs.
Again, not the most impressive stat line, but a very solid one for a teenage shortstop, and his average and power will hopefully develop as time goes on. A significant thing to notice from De Vries’s statistics for the Fort Wayne TinCaps is that his OBP is 113 points higher than his AVG, meaning that De Vries has elite plate discipline (walking 44 times this season) and has a high ability to get on base and draw walks, which is a huge plus.
Moving on to this running ability, scouts rate him as an above-average baserunner and see his ability and potential to use his speed to provide offensive value. This scouting grade has proven to be spot on, as De Vries has stolen 6 bases and scored 39 runs for the TinCaps in just 68 games. In his career throughout 2 Minor League seasons, De Vries has scored 102 runs and has stolen 19 bases.
To finish with the overview of the grades of this top prospect, scouts also believe that De Vries is an above-average fielder with a plus-rated arm and plus-rated fielding grades. De Vries will definitely stick to the left side of the infield with such a strong arm and his consistency in fielding the baseball and getting runners out. Additionally, the Padres have planned to stick him at shortstop only, having full confidence behind their $4.2 million investment. However, that does not mean that a potential move to second base or third base, or even the outfield, is not a possibility in the future.
All in all, De Vries is an all-around and potential five-tool prospect who has the potential to do it all and produce at elite levels for the San Diego Padres. However, it is still difficult to gauge how great De Vries can be, due to the fact that he is only 18 years old. Scouts, executives, coaches, fans, and the media cannot overreact to what he is doing at the A+ Minor League level. But it is going relatively well for De Vries. To say the least, De Vries’s future certainly looks promising.
MLB Floor: Jose Iglesias
All-time stat line: .280 AVG/.322 OBP/.381 SLG, .306 wOBA, 51 HRs, 16.4 fWAR (as of July 7th, 2025)
I think that De Vries has the potential to be an elite ball player, but a main concern is developing his ability to hit the ball out of the park. Power is one of, if not, the most important aspects of a batter in today’s MLB. If a player can’t hit the ball with power, then it is seen as a major disadvantage to place them on a roster.
It is more certain that De Vries will be able to hit the ball for contact and average and get on base consistently. However, it is less certain that De Vries will be able to hit tons of Home Runs year in and year out. If De Vries’s power does not develop and improve significantly, I believe that a fair comparison for him is Jose Iglesias.
Throughout his career, Jose Iglesias has proven to be a consistent contact hitter, who finds a way to get on base effectively, and gets the ball rolling on offense for the ball club. Additionally, Iglesias has proven to be a solid and reliable fielder in the infield to stop runners from reaching base and from advancing. This role that Iglesias has played over the years is definitely something that many scouts can see De Vries doing for the Padres if he makes it to the MLB level.
Iglesias’s main drawback is that he cannot hit the ball out of the park or for extra-base hits, which could be a future concern for De Vries. Out of Iglesias’s 1243 games in the MLB, he has only hit 51 Home Runs, 15 Triples, and 241 Doubles.
If De Vries cannot develop his power, he will have a solid role-player kind of career like Jose Iglesias, who will help teams with his consistent contact hitting and reliable fielding. However, without power, he will not live up to the All-Star caliber level of play that many scouts envision him playing at in the years to come.
MLB Ceiling: Francisco Lindor
All-time stat line: .273 AVG/.341 OBP/.475 SLG, .347 wOBA, 265 HRs, 57.7 fWAR (as of July 7th, 2025)
If De Vries is able to further his ability to hit the ball out of the park, the sky’s the limit for him. Adding power to his bat will take him from a role-player like Iglesias, to an All-Star and top-15 player level of play like Francisco Lindor.
I think that the comparison between Leo De Vries and Franscisco Lindor can be noted by many since both are switch hitters, both are shortstops, both are seen as elite fielders, and can also hit the ball at elite levels. Both are five tool talents, who can do it all on the field.
Throughout his 11 years in the MLB, Lindor has consistently proven his power by hitting 30+ Home Runs in 5 of the years and 20+ Home Runs in 7 of the years. In his career, Lindor has hit 265 Home Runs, with 26 Triples, 321 Doubles, and has brought in 819 Runs.
However, reaching this level of play like the 4x All-Star, 2x Gold Glover, and 4x Silver Slugger will take a ton of development on De Vries’s end. It is less probable, but De Vries definitely has the talent to develop into an elite slugger like Mr. Smile.
When the MLB Futures game comes on this Saturday, look out for #24 on the National League side, and see what Leo De Vries is able to do from both batters boxes and on defense.
De Vries will definitely be one of the most interesting prospects to watch over the next few years. MLB Pipeline has estimated that he will reach the MLB level by 2027, and in the next two years a lot of questions need to be answered, a lot of work needs to be done by De Vries, and a lot of different factors will come into play and change the course of De Vries’s career. The main aspect that we should focus on is De Vries’s power at the plate and if he is able to develop his slugging ability to become an elite ball player. But only time will tell, and we shall see in the future.
Categories: Analysis, MLB Player Profiles
M-SABR 
As a Padres fan, I really appreciate the thorough break down and honest analysis of a young player who’s name we hear a lot. Hopefully Preller stays committed, and Leo can grow to be a lion for our club.