Padres' De Vries, Rays' Flewelling star in MLB Futures Game - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — Leo De Vries was given a nickname back home in the Dominican Republic as he developed into the top international amateur player of the 2024 class: El Mutante. The name stuck, and he had a jeweler make him a custom pendant once he signed with the San Diego Padres for $4.2 million in 2024.

On Sunday, the moniker dangled from a thick chain under his personalized logo — his initials LDV inside a triangle — during the Futures Game, and it didn't take long for the shortstop to put the skill set that earned him it on display.

De Vries, the No. 2 prospect in baseball according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, led the game off with a single to left field before stealing second base and third base within seconds and scoring on a groundout from Boston Red Sox prospect Franklin Arias to give the American League a quick lead en route to a 6-1 win over the National League at Citizens Bank Park.

«I said I was going to steal second and third because I could see the pitches from the catcher,» De Vries said in Spanish.

De Vries established himself as one of baseball's top prospects with an eye-opening showing in Low-A as a 17-year-old immediately after signing with the Padres, finishing the shortened season with 11 home runs, 13 steals and an .803 OPS in 75 games.

Last summer, barely a year after turning pro, his name was thrown into the national spotlight when the Padres used him as the centerpiece of a four-player package in a trade with the Athletics for hard-throwing closer Mason Miller, an All-Star for the second time this season, and left-hander JP Sears.

De Vries has maintained his trajectory through the transition. This season, the switch-hitter is batting .286 with 11 home runs, 31 steals and an .821 OPS in 75 games as