Padres Sign Dominican Shortstop to $4.2 Million Bonus
Dominican shortstop Leodalis De Vries, the top-ranked prospect in the 2024 international amateur class, signed with the San Diego Padres on Monday. According to multiple reports, he will receive a $4.2 million signing bonus.
Monday marked the beginning of the 2024 international signing period, with hundreds of players across Latin America making their first professional contracts official.
De Vries and Mexican pitcher Humberto Cruz headline the list of seven international amateurs who have reached agreement with the Padres as of today, according to Baseball America.
While the Padres have not confirmed their full list of signees, they did release this video of de Vries:
Baseball America's Ben Badler reports that de Vries has a chance to climb the minor league ranks quickly:
De Vries is a polished hitter for 17, with significant game experience and a knack for consistently getting on base. He uses his hands well at the plate with a compact, adjustable swing that has good path through the hitting zone and enables him to cover the plate well with a low swing-and-miss rate. It’s a mature offensive approach for his age, with the ability to slow the game down at the plate, comfort using the opposite field with backspin or turning on pitches on the inner third. It’s a good mix of high contact and impact, with De Vries showing the bat speed and loft to drive the ball out of the park in games with potential above-average power.
FanGraphs.com was equally glowing in its review of de Vries' future potential. Writes Eric Longenhagen:
De Vries is in a tier of his own atop the class. I had a (non-Padres) scouting executive tell me I should quit this exercise and just write a profile about De Vries, who is one of the more talented prospects to come along in the last five to 10 years. The way De Vries’ reports have trended over the last year suggests he may end up at second base eventually, but the hit and power combo is going to clear that bar pretty easily. It’s uncommon for me to have a new international prospect on the Top 100 list straight away, but De Vries’ reports are strong enough that I’m compelled to have him toward the back of the list.
MLB.com also ranked de Vries at the top of this year's class:
Boasting advanced hitting ability with the chance to hit for power from both sides, De Vries has a loose natural rhythm, which gives evaluators the belief that he’ll deliver 20-homer power. Advanced for his age when it comes to plate discipline, De Vries takes his walks and displays plus pitch recognition.
The Padres famously have a glut of shortstops and ex-shortstops on their major league roster: Xander Bogaerts, Ha-Seong Kim, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado.
Finding room for de Vries on a major league diamond won't be a problem for several more years, but it's one the Padres' front office will gladly welcome.
