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Jul 13, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) hits a single during the first inning against the against the Philadelphia Phillies at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

How A's Leo De Vries Compares to Padres' Fernando Tatís Jr. in the Minors

Originally posted on Oakland Athletics on SI
By Jason Burke | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The Athletics took a little risk at the Trade Deadline, moving Mason Miller, who has been a surefire closer for the club the past two seasons, and trading him to the San Diego Padres in exchange for the No. 3 prospect in Major League Baseball, Leo De Vries. Miller was a beloved player by the fans, but De Vries has a chance to be a special player himself, in time.

After spending a couple of weeks in High-A Lansing, the Athletics promoted De Vries up to Double-A, which isn't a level that many 18-year-olds make it. Padres prospect Ethan Salas made it as a 17-year old back in 2023 for nine games, and in addition to him, there have been a total of ten 18-year-olds that have made it to the Texas League for any stretch of time in their age 18 campaign.

With 11 games played, De Vries has the second-most games accumulated among batters, trailing only Fernando Tatís Jr., who ended up with 14. Los Angeles Dodgers pitching prospect Julio Urías also made it into 13 games, and received four plate appearances.

Given the limited sample sizes across the board, it's tough to make large assumptions about the players, other than they're really special talents for having made it this far in such a limited amount of time.

Last season Sebastian Walcott, the Texas Rangers top prospect and No. 4 on MLB Pipeline, ended up going 8-for-23 (.348) with a .375 OBP, a home run, seven RBI, and stole a base. He also held a .467 BABIP, which means that there was some luck baked in there.

De Vries and Tatís finding their own paths to success in the minors

Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Fernando Tatís Jr. went 14-for-55 (.286) back in 2017 with a .281 OBP, a home run, six RBI, and three steals. He also walked 3.5% of the time and struck out at a 29.8% clip. Those are very similar rates to what Walcott put up last season (4.2% and 29.2%).

With two weeks left in the regular season, De Vries has gone 7-for-42 (.167) with a .302 OBP, no homers, three RBI, and two stolen bases in three attempts. He's also rolling with a .212 BABIP, which suggests luck hasn't been on his side.

The huge difference between De Vries and both Tatís and Walcott is their rate stats. De Vries is walking at a 15.1% clip, more than triple what the other two players had put up, and he's also striking out less, with a K-rate sitting at 20.8%. While the hits haven't been falling and he hasn't blasted a ball over the fence, those are extremely encouraging numbers when it comes to his overall development.

How 18-year-olds have performed in the Texas League since 2015

FanGraph

For him to not be tearing up Double-A like he's Nick Kurtz isn't cause for concern in the slightest. The fact that he's in the League at all is the most Kurtz-esque thing he could be doing right now. That he's also staying within himself in his plate appearances and not swinging for the fences is actually pretty encouraging.

Like we've said previously, we're not going to be able to take a whole lot of meaning from the numbers he puts up this season. These next couple of weeks are more about getting him exposure to the League, and giving him a framework to head into the offseason with so that he can hit the ground running in 2026.

Tatís followed up his taste of Double-A in '17 with 88 games played at the level in '18, and ended up hitting .286 with a .355 OBP, 16 home runs and 16 stolen bases, leading to a 139 wRC+ (100 is league average). He also walked 8.4% of the time while striking out 27.7%, moving both numbers in the right direction.

These few weeks could put De Vries ahead of where he'd be if he debuted in Double-A next season, and that's what the A's are hoping will happen. He's having success, but it's not the kind that jumps out at you. Next year could be his breakout campaign.

If he starts off hot, then after six to eight weeks, perhaps he gets called up to Triple-A Las Vegas. That would put him just a step away from having to figure out where to play him when he reaches the big leagues.

This article first appeared on Oakland Athletics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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