From FG
10. Cleveland Guardians (39)
Deyvison De Los Santos, 3B, from Arizona Diamondbacks
This was the sexiest pick in the entire draft because De Los Santos has plus-plus raw power, right now, at age 20. His selectivity at the plate and infield defense have ranged from “immature” to “god awful,” and the former was a big part of why he had a below-average all-around offensive season at Double-A Amarillo despite hitting 20 bombs. Both were justifiable reasons for Arizona to leave him unprotected. De Los Santos is kind of a freak, comparing physically to former NFL running back Michael Turner more than he does anyone else in baseball. He does not get cheated and swings as hard as he can at every opportunity. His slider recognition is awful and he chased them at a 49% clip in 2023, per Synergy.
DDLS’s defensive issues are mostly to do with a lack of arm accuracy. He looked better on defense late in 2023 and actually made some slick plays at both first and third late in the season. With
José Ramírez entrenched at third base in Cleveland, a 1B/DH role seems to be in line for Deyvison. The Guardians desperately need impact power like this in their lineup, so badly in fact that I think De Los Santos has as good a chance to stick on this roster as any because of how devoid of pop Cleveland’s non-Ramírez and Naylor (
Josh and
Bo) sticks have been. He has a chance to hit 30 or more bombs at peak regardless of whether he learns how to identify spin, and De Los Santos will be a middle-of-the-order force if he can learn to be more selective.