Athletics’ top prospect Leo De Vries hits two homers in win over Dodgers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Leo De Vries had himself quite the Sunday afternoon.
The Athletics’ top prospect hit a pair of home runs — including a grand slam — in his team’s 11-7 Cactus League win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Sloan Park in Arizona.
De Vries’ go-balls each traveled at over 100 mph and would’ve been home runs in all 30 MLB ballparks.
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The electricity off the switch-hitter’s bat is just part of what the Athletics were excited about when landing De Vries in the deal with the Padres that sent All-Star reliever Mason Miller to San Diego.
The Green and Gold believe the up-and-coming shortstop is the real deal.
“I think Leo De Vries has a chance to be a superstar,” Athletics general manager David Forst told Chris Townsend on “A’s Cast” in August.
De Vries’ strong Sunday encapsulated what has been a solid spring, as the 19-year-old has slashed .364/.417/.364 through 10 games.
The Athletics, who have prided themselves on stacking promising young stars such as Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson, believe De Vries has a chance to be the next in line.
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“What I like about the aura is that it’s a quiet level of confidence,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said about De Vries in February (h/t MLB.com’s Jesse Borek). “There’s some, we use the word ‘swag,’ to describe how he goes out and plays the game.
“At the same point, he plays the game the right way. He plays it hard, and he continues to want to learn and grow.”
Two go-balls against the defending champs sure do make for great growth.