The San Diego Padres made headlines in January when they signed the top-ranked international amateur prospect in baseball, 17-year-old shortstop Leodalis De Vries.
De Vries is being pegged as a future superstar for the Padres, and he's wasting no time perfecting his craft. He's here to make noise and get to the big leagues as soon as possible.
What better way to be the best than to learn from the best? In a recent interview with Yonder Alonso of MLB Network in Spanish, De Vries said he's trained with the five-time All-Star third baseman from the Cleveland Guardians, José Ramírez.
“Of course. He’s from the same town. He’s talked to him a lot. He’s trained with him a lot. He’s hit with him a lot. So obviously a lot of those good things are going to stick.”
— Leodalis De Vries via MLB Network
These two infielders hail from Bani, Dominican Republic. One is an established All-Star veteran. The other is looking to be one of the greats.
Like Ramírez, De Vries has the tools all over the field, especially defensively, to thrive in the major leagues. A lot of De Vries' bat makes him such a great prospect. However, don't sleep on his defense.
The shortstop has all the intangibles to stick at shortstop for a long time with his arm and frame. He stands at 6-foot-2, and if he wants to, he can play anywhere in the infield.
De Vries is not only blessed with great skill, but he has the resources to be as great as he wants. If the youngest is even half of what Ramírez is in the big leagues, the Padres have found themselves their star of the future.
More must-reads: