Storm coming: De Vries flashes pop, tees off twice

Leo De Vries has perhaps never deserved his nickname of “El Mutante” more than on Friday night when he left the yard twice for the first multihomer game of his very young pro career.

But that’s not where his otherworldly abilities end -- the 17-year-old homered from both the right and left sides of the plate in a breakout performance that was a swift reminder of why he received so much pomp and a $4.2 million investment earlier this year.

San Diego’s No. 4 prospect led off for the Storm at San Manuel Stadium and turned on the first pitch of the game for a ground-rule double. In the third inning, he worked a full count before drawing a walk and promptly stealing second base. De Vries’s next at-bat was a long home run from the right side of the plate, the second of his career. He upped the ante in the eighth inning, flipping to the other batter’s box and sending a moonshot over the outfield fence (with a considerable bat flip to match) in an eventual 6-5 loss to Inland Empire.

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Based on performances like this, it’s hard to believe that De Vries is the youngest player in full-season affiliated ball. As the top-ranked international prospect, the Dominican Republic native signed with the Padres on Jan. 15 of this year. He bypassed rookie ball, joining Single-A Lake Elsinore on April 23. After an 0-for-4 start, things started clicking -- and quickly. His first pro hit came the following day, with a four-RBI night to follow.

With a couple of months of professional play under his belt, MLB’s No. 80 prospect finally notched his first career homer on June 25. After batting left-handed for three at-bats, De Vries moved to the other side of the plate to face a left-handed reliever. The result was a rocket off the foul pole that gave the Storm a two-run lead.

"I knew it was gone as soon as it left his bat," Storm manager Lukas Ray said last month. "A two-run, go-ahead homer from 'El Mutante' [The Mutant] in the late innings off of a reliever … it's so impressive. That's why you coach. That's so much fun."

Already regarded as one of the game's top switch-hitting prospects, De Vries’s two-homer game was a textbook example of the potential that lies coiled up in his swing. Through 44 games, he is slashing .218/.341/.368 with 19 extra-base hits and 19 RBIs, all while playing at the same age as American high school seniors.

But beyond his abilities at the plate, the shortstop has also shown the speed and agility that could help make him a true five-tool player as his game matures.

"You could look at the stat line and get lost in the stat line," Ray said. "But if you come to the games and you watch him in person, you know he's the best player on the field every night. And if you come to our pregame, you know how hard he works, how much he’s getting better."