A's Top Prospect Leo De Vries Leaves Spring Game Early
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Leo De Vries is not only the A's top prospects, but he's also considered one of the top prospects in baseball, with MLB Pipeline ranking him No. 4 overall, Baseball America slotting him No. 12, and FanGraphs having him at No. 6.
Last year he made it to Double-A as an 18-year-old, which is a feat that hasn't been terribly common in the past decade. He also excelled in that time, making his inevitable debut that much more anticipated.
On Saturday in Mesa, De Vries earned his first start of the spring, going 0-for-1, before leaving the game before he was scheduled to. According to MLB.com, "Leo De Vries exited today’s game after experiencing some stomach issues and was treated for possible dehydration. Expected to be OK going forward."
He was pulled in the bottom of the fifth, replaced by 2024 third rounder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, who went 1-for-3 with a single. This spring Kuroda-Grauer has gone 4-for-9 (.444) with a double late in games. He's ranked as the A's No. 10 prospect, and could turn into a solid depth piece for the club to consider on the infield. He hit .301 with a .372 OBP in 41 games in Midland last season.
Kotsay on De Vries
Ahead of Saturday's game, A's manager Mark Kotsay spoke to reporters about De Vries' first start this spring. "For Leo, this is his first camp with us. We want to get him going a little bit. Obviously today, to put him in the starting lineup, there's a little level of excitement just to have him go out there, and I think he feels that."
He was also asked if De Vries, like a lot of top prospects, exudes aura, or confidence in the way that he carries himself.
"It's hard not to have an aura when you're rated as one of the best prospects in baseball, right? I think for me, what I like about the aura is it's a quiet level of confidence. There's some, we use the word swag, to how he goes out and plays the game. But, at the same point, he plays the game the right way. Plays it hard, and continues to want to learn and grow."
Injury updates from camp
- A's free agent addition Aaron Civale has yet to pitch in a game for the A's this spring, which led to a question about his status for the club. According to Kotsay, he threw a simulated game which lasted three innings on Tuesday. He's expected to be on the mound for the A's on either Monday or Tuesday of next week.
- Gunnar Hoglund saw a doctor for a knee issue that popped up in camp, and it has been diagnosed as a sprain. The A's skipper said that it won't require any type of surgery, and that he'll be continuing his throwing program.
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Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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