The Athletics are starting the second half with another wave of young talent, and Leo De Vries looks like the next name moving up the ladder.
Tommy White is set to join the club on Friday against the Nationals, giving the A’s a fresh look right out of the break. Henry Bolte already got his shot earlier this season, and his 100th percentile speed, paired with his ground-ball rate, has helped fuel his recent success in the majors.
Now De Vries appears poised to take his next step. The A’s landed the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball last summer in a blockbuster trade with the San Diego Padres that sent All-Star closer Mason Miller the other way. It was a steep price, but the organization clearly believes the payoff could be huge down the road.
De Vries has been tearing through Double-A with the Midland Rockhounds, hitting .286 with an .821 OPS and 11 home runs. He’s only 19, so there’s no urgency to force the issue, but the talent is obvious enough that a move to Triple-A Las Vegas feels close. The expectation is that the promotion happens before the Aviators’ Friday game in Round Rock.
The bigger question is where he fits once he keeps climbing. The A’s infield is already crowded, and the logjam could get even tighter with De Vries in the picture.
Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson have first base and shortstop locked down, which leaves the rest of the infield depth fighting for time at second or third. Tommy White and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer look like they should fit there, while Zack Gelof, Jeff McNeil, Alika Williams, and recently optioned Max Muncy are also in the mix.
De Vries has already shown how dangerous he can be, too. In the Futures Game, he opened with a leadoff single, stole two bases, and scored the AL’s first run.
So yes, the buzz around his eventual debut is real. But before that happens, the Athletics will have to sort out exactly what their defensive alignment looks like when one of baseball’s brightest young prospects finally reaches the big leagues.
In Other News...
A's May Be Pushing Max Muncy Into An Unexpected New Role
The Athletics have had to juggle more than one moving part lately, from a coaching change on the pitching side to a roster that keeps forcing the front office to re-evaluate where players fit best. Scott Emerson is out as pitching coach, Dan Hubbs is in on an interim basis, and Javy Guerra has been added as bullpen coach, all while the club keeps sorting through injuries and the ripple effects they create elsewhere on the roster.
One of the more interesting names in that mix is Max Muncy, who was recently sent to Triple-A and has been working mostly in the infield. But with his defensive issues and the A's depth chart pushing them to consider every available option, there is at least a path for him to work his way back into the big leagues in a different role than the one he has handled most often. [Read more 🡒]
A's Slide May Have Finally Forced A Deadline Reckoning
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There are still internal reasons to hold the line, with injured or scuffling pieces such as Nick Kurtz, Zack Gelof, Jacob Lopez, Jeffrey Springs and Luis Morales all part of the larger equation. But the longer the losses pile up, the harder it becomes to ignore the possibility that the deadline may force a more aggressive answer, especially if the club decides it cannot afford to keep letting the season drift while hoping the current mix simply sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Let An Opposing Rookie Have The Night Every Fan Fears
What began as an injury replacement assignment quickly turned into one of those nights a visiting club never wants to see from a rookie. Harry Ford was pressed into the Washington lineup after Drew Millas went down with a left index finger injury, and the Nationals found themselves with a fresh face in the middle of a game that was already tilting hard in their direction against the Athletics.
Ford did more than just fill a spot, giving Washington a jolt in his first major league action and helping fuel a lopsided night at the plate. The bigger picture for Oakland was even rougher, with Washington piling on run after run in a game that featured big damage from Andres Chaparro and a final score that said plenty about how quickly things got away from the As. [Read more 🡒]