De Vries and Jamie Arnold were both named to the Futures Game roster, and Mark Kotsay laid out the specific benchmark he wants to see from the A's top prospect next
The Futures Game rosters were announced by Major League Baseball on Wednesday, and the A's are boasting a pair of top prospects on the AL squad. Both No. 1 prospect Leo De Vries and No. 2 prospect Jamie Arnold will take the field representing the A's. De Vries is also the No. 2 ranked prospect in all of baseball.
Both are currently members of the A's Double-A affiliate, the Midland RockHounds.
De Vries, 19, is batting .283 with a .375 OBP, nine home runs, and the third-most stolen bases in the Texas League with 28.
Arnold, 22, was selected by the A's with the No. 11 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft and is in his first season in professional baseball. He got out of the gate hot, posting a 2.95 ERA in five April starts, then dealt with some adversity in May's five starts, holding a 7.11 ERA. In June he course-corrected, holding a 2.31 ERA in four starts spanning 23 1/3 innings.
Altogether, Arnold is 3-5 with Midland with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP spanning 70 innings.
"Jamie's had an up and down year," A's manager Mark Kotsay said of Arnold's first three months as a pro. "It's a challenge to start out in Double-A. We challenged Jamie. He's going to be fine, thus he's going to pitch in the Futures Game, so that says a lot."
What A's Want to See From De Vries
De Vries is just 19 years old playing in the Texas League, making him one of the youngest players in the league. St. Louis Cardinals top prospect Rainiel Rodriguez (No. 12 in MLB) is the other 19-year-old, and Ethan Salas is the only 20-year-old. Guys don't typically make it to this level at such a young age.
The only other position player in Double-A who's 19 or younger is the top prospect in MLB, Jesús Made of the Milwaukee Brewers playing in the Southern League.
Despite the age gap between himself and his peers, De Vries is holding his own. Athletics Roundtable asked the A's manager what they're looking for from him to get him to that next level.
"I think the exit velos can be more consistent," Kotsay said. "Balls hit at 105 or above. That's physicality, that's strength. We all know in watching [the Dodgers], they're physical, they're strong. That's the definition of a big leaguer, really. When he matures, when we feel the time is right to challenge him with that, I think that's when that move will take place."
The Dodgers were able to spoil pitch after pitch all series against the A's this week, and more often than not would eventually drive a ball into the gap after that long battle. That's the type of player De Vries could end up becoming.
With the number of injuries the A's roster is facing currently putting the team's postseason hopes in jeopardy, there is no reason to rush De Vries to try to have him ready for a potential postseason push.
When the A's called up Joshua Kuroda-Grauer to Sacramento this week to fill the open spot on the Las Vegas infield, they passed over De Vries — a sign they're not looking to rush his development.
