Jhoan De La Cruz is linked to the San Diego Padres in the next international signing period, which starts on January 15. 

The San Diego Padres are one of the most active teams on the international market.

It is a far cry from the franchise of the last decades, which never seemed to embrace the concept after the late 80s. A.J. Preller sure changed that as the Padres compete each season to strengthen the farm system with dozens and dozens of relevant minor-league players of value.

In the last two seasons alone, the Padres have secured the two top prospects on the market. Ethan Salas and Leodalis De Vries are viewed as the team’s best prospects right now, and each teenager is considered a sure thing to make it to the majors and contribute.

This new signing period starts on the 15th of January and will have Roki Sasaki in it. The Japanese superstar pitcher is widely considered the best international prospect in a long time. The Padres are rumored to be one of the finalists for his services. But we will have to wait until then to see where the pitcher signs.

Sasaki is not the only target for the Padres, as they are also linked to an athletic shortstop out of the Dominican Republic.

Jhoan De La Cruz is a switch hitter with promise.

Here is a video on the 17-year-old.

The Padres like what they see from this teenager.

He is really raw with the bat but shows promising bat speed from both sides of the plate. The frame will thicken in time, and so will the power. De La Cruz shows gap-power presently that will bloom.

De La Cruz trains at Mickey’s Academy in San Pedro de Marcoris under Ysbel Medina. The baseball academy is considered one of the best on the island. “A Dominican baseball academy focused on the Development of high-performance baseball players, which, with the endorsement of the MLB, hopes to grow the baseball scene globally.” This is coming from their site. 

The young infielder shows great range with the glove and may be able to stick at the shortstop position moving forward.

It remains to be seen if the Padres can afford to sign this young infielder if they do, indeed, secure Sasaki after January 15. De La Cruz is considered the 24th-best prospect in this upcoming class. He will be signed for a decent amount. San Diego may have difficulty signing both players.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.