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Michael De La Cruz Named Top 20 DSL/VSL Prospect

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Ben Badler from Baseball America wrapped up his 2013 international signings recap with a look at the top 20 prospects in the two foreign leagues. The lone Pittsburgh Pirates representative was center fielder Michael de la Cruz, who was named our top DSL prospect to watch.

Badler did not rank the prospects in any order, instead listing 20 players alphabetical. For de la Cruz, he praised his plate patience, which helped him lead the league with 58 walks in 62 games. He also gave him plus tools for his defense in center field and his speed. The only weakness Badler mentions, is that he may never have much power, although it’s important to note that de la Cruz won’t turn 18 until this July, so he could still fill out that 6’1″ frame and add power to his game down the road.

That set of tools and strong rookie season in the DSL in 2013, got de la Cruz a promotion to Bradenton for the Fall Instructional League last October and he returned this month for Minor League Spring Training. He will more than likely open the season in the Gulf Coast League in 2014 and based on the recent progress of other strong international players(Dilson Herrera, Harold Ramirez), de la Cruz could be in West Virginia for the 2015 season.

Back in February, Baseball America also named him one of the top ten potential breakout prospects among international players. Summing up all those accolades for the young center field from the Dominican, Michael de la Cruz is someone Pirates fans should definitely keep an eye out this season and in the future.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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