Padres' prospect Leodalis De Vries shares unique link with former MVP Bryce Harper

To be connected to Bryce Harper in anything in life is a good thing. The two-time Most Valuable Player has been one of the best players in the sport in what feels like forever, which means he's been dominating since a young age. Hailing from the Padres' minor league system, there is another youngster on the circuit making some noise himself, and that stud is now interestingly linked with Harper.

San Diego's No. 2 prospect Leodalis De Vries spent his first professional season with Single-A Lake Elsinore, lacing 36 extra-base hits in 75 games. De Vries recently turned 18 years old and accomplished something that not many other players have done.

On Thursday, Oct. 31, De Vries smoked a home run at Peoria Sports Complex, becoming the youngest prospect to round the bases in an Arizona Fall League game since future Hall of Famer Bryce Harper did so in 2010.

"That guy wants to win more than anybody,” Lake Elsinore and Fall League teammate Harry Gustin told MLB.com. “He's a great teammate to have. I would not like to face him.”

Padres' Leo De Vries matches Bryce Harper as young AFL slugger

De Vries, a Dominican Republic native, is the ninth-highest rated shortstop prospect across baseball, and ranks No. 28 among all prospects according to MLB Pipeline. There are seven players in the Top 100 who are 18 years old, including De Vries, who is also the top international prospect. He joins Ethan Salas as another Padres prospects succeeding in the Arizona Fall League, a showcase that fosters a fast track of promotions in the minor leagues.

The Padres are staying quite busy at the MLB level this offseason, toying with different ideas of signing new superstars or figuring out who to give contract extensions to. That is obviously a necessity, but for the organization to know their best minor leaguers are enjoying a ton of success this fall is a breath of fresh air, no matter who joins the big club on megadeals. De Vries acclimating to professional baseball, going overdrive following the regular season, and most importantly dominating in such short order all represent touchstones for the Padres' front office.

Is De Vries the next best thing to happen in San Diego? Potentially, but he has plenty of time to go before he is given that pressure. The Padres can hang their hat on Manny Machado and Fernando Tatís Jr. getting the job done through mid 2020s, but knowing that someone like De Vries is developing alongside Salas gives everyone a valid sense of hope for the future.