Leo

De Vries

De Vries continues his meteoric rise to elite prospect status with another monster performance in the lower minors. The 18-year-old phenom got on-base in all three of his plate appearances and launched his fourth round-tripper of the season. He’s hitting a robust .290/.359/.609 with 11 extra-base hits and two steals through 18 games for High-A Fort Wayne.

Unreal. De Vries hit for the cycle and recorded his second career multi-homer effort as a part of a legendary five-hit explosion. The 18-year-old switch-hitting prodigy pairs above-average speed and athleticism with the ability to drive the ball to all fields, which gives him a chance to blossom into a high-impact fantasy contributor down the road. He’s still a couple hyperspace jumps from the majors, but performances like this latest masterpiece show why he’s locked into top-10 dynasty prospect status until further notice.

De Vries might not reach the power ceiling of elite slugging prospects, but his all-around ability could make him one of the more impactful shortstops in the fantasy landscape someday. The precocious 18-year-old talent is still a couple hyperspace jumps from the majors, but he’s going to move quickly through San Diego’s system. The fact that he’s doing this against much older competition is really impressive. He’s a top-10 dynasty prospect already and will be a contender for No. 1 status if he tears the cover off the ball at High-A for a few months.

De Vries connected for an absolute no-doubter to left field -- his second round-tripper of the AFL season -- which traveled 418 feet and carried a 104 mph exit velocity. The switch-hitting 18-year-old prodigy, who has recorded some elite batted ball data this fall, is arguably a top five dynasty prospect already, and projects as a potential fantasy superstar down the road, if everything comes together. He’s a hyperspace jump or two away from the majors entering the 2025 season, but he’s going to move extremely quickly towards San Diego.

De Vries drew a walk and was also plunked by a pitch. The steal was the second of the season, and he’s doubled four times while registering a .280 average and .819 OPS. Solid numbers for sure, but even more impressive when you consider he’s playing in the AFL and just turned 18 on October 11. De Vries is one of the best prospects in baseball, and he has the upside to someday be an elite fantasy shortstop.

It’s a brutal development since De Vries was in the midst of a breakout professional debut, rapidly emerging as one of the top prospects in baseball, batting .237/.361/.441 with 11 homers and 13 steals in 360 plate appearances over 75 games. Those raw numbers might not exactly leap off the electronic page, but they’re extremely impressive considering De Vries won’t turn 18 years old until October and is roughly a presidential term younger than the competition he’s facing. The precocious shortstop prospect is likely to miss the remainder of the season after suffering the injury over the weekend, but should have a normal offseason and be ready in plenty of time for spring training.

De Vries is one of the youngest players in the entire California League at just 17 years old and continues to impress. The top-ranked prospect from last year’s international signing class homered from both sides of the plate on Friday night and is now batting .218 with three homers and eight steals through 44 games. Those numbers might not seem impressive, but we have to factor in that he’s nearly a presidential term younger than most of the competition he’s facing at the moment. He’s quickly emerging as one of the top dynasty prospects in the fantasy landscape and is venturing closer to top-100 overall status in those formats already given his talent and age.

The incredible fact here is that De Vries, the top-ranked international prospect who signed for $4.2 million back in January, is already playing in full-season ball at just 17 years old. The switch-hitting shortstop made his season debut earlier this week and is now batting .308 (4-for-13) with a pair of extra-base hits and one stolen base through three games. His fantasy stock is going to rise exponentially over the next few months if he continues to excel in the lower minors, which would put him on the fast track to the big leagues.

The fact that De Vries, 17, is even in camp with the Padres just a few months after signing for $4.2 million out of the Dominican Republic as the top-ranked international prospect of his class is an indication of how advanced he is for his age. He’s still a couple hyperspace jumps from the big leagues, be he has a chance to move quickly through San Diego’s system and seems likely to evolve into an impact fantasy contributor in the future.

The top-ranked player in the 2024 international free agent class, De Vries is several hyperspace jumps from San Diego, but he’s arguably a top-12 pick in first year player drafts for fantasy managers in keeper and dynasty league formats. The 17-year-old switch-hitting shortstop boasts an extremely advanced hit tool for his age and projects to grow into above-average over-the-fence pop. He’ll make some noise for fantasy managers in a couple years after receiving $4.2 million of the Padres’ $4.652 million signing pool, which is among the lowest in the league.