Minor League Baseball

San Diego Padres Prospect Leo De Vries on Pace to Join Historic Company in High-A

Leo DeVries is still only 18 years old, but the San Diego Padres' top prospect is dominating High-A to the same extent that Mike Trout and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did.
Sam Connon|
Denver, Colorado, USA; A detail view of a San Diego Padres hat on a glove in the dugout in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Denver, Colorado, USA; A detail view of a San Diego Padres hat on a glove in the dugout in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres

Leo De Vries may be a few years away from breaking into the big leagues, but the San Diego Padres' top prospect has history on his side.

The 18-year-old Dominican shortstop, who is ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect in baseball, has been tearing it up with the Fort Wayne TinCaps in High-A in 2025. Despite being the youngest player at that level, he is still pushing for a quick promotion.

De Vries is batting .253 with five home runs, 11 doubles, three triples, 27 RBIs, 27 walks, six stolen bases and a .772 OPS through 49 games this season. Digging even deeper, he has a weighted runs created plus of 116 and an isolated power of .172.

According to FanGraphs, only four 18-year-olds since 2006 have had at least a .750 OPS, a 110 wRC+ and a .100 ISO in High-A, minimum 190 plate appearances. Mike Trout, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Wander Franco and Sebastian Walcott currently make up the exclusive club, but De Vries is on pace to join them.

If the Padres have a Trout or Guerrero on their hands, the franchise should be in a good spot moving forward. Even Franco was an awards contender and All-Star before off-the-field legal issues derailed his career, while Walcott figures to be a keystone piece for the Texas Rangers' future.

De Vries will continue to blaze his own path, with his sights set the big leagues. MLB Pipeline estimates the infielder to reach the majors in 2027, at which point Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado will both be 34 years old.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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