Can a 19-Year-Old Shortstop Elite Prospect Navigate the Strength Question?
By Riley Thompson · Sun Mar 22 2026
Leo De Vries walked out of spring training with a target on his back, and not because of the noise he's made with his bat. After an eye-catching 17-game spring where the 19-year-old switch-hitting shortstop hit .409 with three home runs, three doubles, and eleven RBIs, Athletics manager Mark Kotsay delivered a message that cuts to the heart of where De Vries stands as a prospect; he needs to get stronger. Not just heavier, but stronger. The kind of functional, maintainable strength that allows a teenager to absorb the grinding toll of a 140-game season. It was a reality check wrapped in opportunity for one of baseball's most talented young position players. This moment matters more than the spring batting average or the 103.1 mph exit velo off Tanner Bibee . De Vries' assignment decision this season, whether he starts at Double-A Midland or gets pushed to Triple-A Las Vegas, will define not just his 2026 development trajectory but his entire timeline to the majors. For an organization that has carefully managed its farm system's ascension, and for a prospect who has already been moved aggressively through multiple levels, the fork in the road is stark. Do the Athletics challenge him further with the risk of exposure to older arms, or do they let him settle into Double-A and build the physical foundation that separates elite prospects from ones who flame out under major league workload? The Tool Set: Five-Tool Intrigue at a Discount Let's start with what jumps off the screen when baseball's No. 8 propsect takes the field. The hit tool grades as plus; scouts consistently note his advanced plate discipline for his age, his ability to work counts, and his bat control from both sides of the plate. His approach is polished in ways that most teenagers don't display. He doesn't chase. He understands pitch sequencing. His contact rates are strong relative to his age cohort. This is not a young player hunting fastballs and struggling against breaking stuff. This is a hitter who looks advanced for his age in terms of his cognitive approach to the box. Power is the question mark embedded in that hit tool. De Vries grades around 55 for raw power; that's above-average, projectable, but not the kind of plus-plus tool that jumps out at you in batting practice. He has bat speed and he has strength relative to his frame, but he's still physically maturing. The 103.1 mph homer off Bibee showed that the power can translate in games, but consistency and volume at the professional level remain to be proven. As he fills out his 6'1" frame and adds functional strength in the weight room, that power projection has real room to tick upward. Defensively, De Vries presents as a fluid, athletic shortstop with a 55-grade arm and above-average range. His hands are soft. His actions are clean. He has the intangibles scouts want at the premium position; he makes the difficult play look routine at times. The complication? He's had 21 errors across his minor league stints and his fielding percentage has dipped below .940. Some of that is the cost of being two, three, sometimes four years younger than every other player at his level. Some of that is learning how to play shortstop at a faster pace. But it's worth noting as a maturity marker, not a deal-breaker. His running speed grades at 55, plus or slightly above. He's not a blazer, but he's efficient. He has stolen 24 bases in his minor league career and the reads are sound. He moves well laterally, which helps his defensive value. Add everything together and you get a prospect with legitimate five-tool potential, but not the kind of ceiling-busting, hit-the-gym-and-become-a-monster profile that some of his peer competitors possess. Projection: The 2026 Question and Beyond Here's where the organizational thinking gets interesting. De Vries has a realistic floor as a plus-average major league shortstop; the kind of player who hits .280 with 20 home runs, plays adequate defense, and compiles 3 to 4 wins above replacement annually. That's a solid regular. That's a player worth team control. But his ceiling is much higher if the physical development clicks. If he adds 15 to 20 pounds of functional muscle, if his power grades move to 60 or better, if his defensive maturity accelerates, you could be looking at a 25 to 30 home run threat who plays a premium position and genuinely impacts winning. That's a franchise-changing outcome. The timeline question is the operative one. Can De Vries handle Double-A Midland in 2026 and force a conversation about a late-season call-up, or does he benefit from Triple-A time to adjust to the physical and mental demands of professional baseball? Most scouts believe a 2026 debut is possible if he produces in Double-A; Mark Kotsay has explicitly said he has the tools to play in the big leagues right now. But intention and readiness are not the same thing. A teenager hitting Double-A velocity from right-handed and left-handed relief pitchers is a different animal than a teenager sustaining excellence for six weeks in the big leagues. Risk: Strength, Durability, and the Positional Question The elephant in the room is strength and durability. Kotsay's message was not casual. Athletic organizations do not send young prospects to the weight room as a developmental priority unless they see a genuine vulnerability. For a teenager already tracking as a plus prospect, the concern is not about his ceiling but about his floor. What happens if he doesn't add strength the way the organization envisions? What happens if he gets to Triple-A and runs into a left-handed reliever throwing 98 with movement and doesn't have the core stability to manage his at-bats over seven games a week? There's also a secondary positional risk worth considering. Jacob Wilson has established himself as the Athletics' starting shortstop after a strong 2025 season and has signed an extension through 2032. That puts De Vries in a position where he either displaces Wilson long-term or finds a new home on the infield dirt. His arm strength and range suggest he can play second or third; that's not a negative, but it's a reality that could alter his trade value or his path to playing time if things don't accelerate as expected. Makeup: Confidence Without Arrogance The reports on De Vries' makeup have been consistently positive. He carries himself with the confidence of a prospect who understands his ability, but without the arrogance that sometimes derails young talent. He absorbed Kotsay's strength message as a challenge rather than a slight. He showed respect for big league competition in spring. His work ethic is described as genuine, not performative. For a 19-year-old operating in the rarified air of top-five prospect discussions, that's a significant advantage. 80Grade Angle De Vries' profile fits squarely into the kind of athletic, versatile shortstop that modern front offices covet. His switch-hitting ability, his advanced approach at the plate, and his combination of defensive tools and physical upside align with what evaluators are looking for in the next generation of elite infielders. The question now is execution; can he transform organizational interest into sustained professional performance? His spring showed the ceiling. His assignment decisions will reveal how quickly the Athletics believe he's ready to close the gap between prospect potential and big league contribution. Bottom Line Leo De Vries is a legitimately special prospect operating at an inflection point. He has the tools to be an All-Star caliber shortstop. He has the approach and the confidence to develop into something rare in the professional game. But spring training impressed without resolving the core organizational question about his readiness for sustained professional workload. Kotsay's message was clear; strength is the variable that unlocks the upside. If De Vries takes that instruction seriously and translates it on the field, a 2026 major league appearance is realistic. If he doesn't close that gap, a patient Triple-A route becomes the prudent choice. Either way, the next six weeks in Midland will be the most consequential of his professional career to date.