The Dodgers may already have their next homegrown star in Josue De Paula, and one National League scout didn’t exactly hide the excitement.
“JDP is the most polished young hitter I have seen in my 17 years of professional baseball,” the scout told FanSided. “He is never rushed, immensely confident, and has been incredibly consistent since entering pro ball.”
That kind of praise carries real weight, but De Paula has been making it easy. Since the Dodgers signed him out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old in 2022, he has kept producing at every stop. This season at Double-A, the 21-year-old hit .303/.401/.547 with a .948 OPS, along with 27 homers, 104 RBI and 31 stolen bases in 124 games.
That performance pushed him onto the Dodgers’ roster this month after Shohei Ohtani landed on the IL with knee and biceps injuries. De Paula made his MLB debut on September 11, then two days later launched a three-run moonshot for his first big league hit. He’s already the Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect and ranks No. 4 in baseball, according to Baseball America.
The same scout also reached for a striking comparison when describing De Paula’s bat.
“The only fair comparison to the ease in which hitting comes to (De Paula) is Manny Ramirez,” the scout said. “He was born to hit and has done nothing but refine his gift the last four-plus years.”
That’s lofty company. Ramirez was a 12-time All-Star and nine-time Silver Slugger over an 18-year career, led the American League in RBI in 1999, won a batting title in 2002 and topped the AL in home runs in 2004. He also won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox and was World Series MVP in 2004.
For the Dodgers, the fit is obvious. Andy Pages is under control through 2030, Teoscar Hernandez is entering the final year of his deal in 2027, and Kyle Tucker is in the first year of a four-year, $240 million contract with opt outs after 2027 and 2028. De Paula, meanwhile, looks like he could be a core outfield piece for years to come.
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