The San Diego Padres' new prized prospect models his game after one of the best.
Speaking on a Zoom with reporters on the day his minor league contract became official, Leodalis de Vries said he has been modeling himself after another switch-hitter: Jose Ramirez, the Cleveland Guardians' five-time All-Star.
Ramirez, 31, is a career .279/.355/.499 hitter with 216 career home runs. Perhaps most remarkably, Ramirez is the rare switch hitter whose splits are virtually even — an All-Star from both sides of the plate. As a right-hander, Ramirez has a career slash line of .279/.361/.506. As a left-hander, he's slashing .279/.341/.486.
Few better role models have existed for a switch hitter in major league history. Fortunately for de Vries, he and Ramirez know each other personally:
MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez said in an interview with MLB Network that de Vries' choice of a role model is already bearing fruit:
Monday, the Padres signed de Vries, 17, to a $4.2 million bonus – the largest in this year's international signing class. The Padres' hopes for their new prospect are understandably high.
Knowing de Vries models his game after perhaps the best switch-hitter in the game will do little to temper expectations.
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