Los Angeles top prospect Josue de Paula hit a three-run homer to give the National League a 4-2 victory in the Futures Games.
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De Poula’s 416-foot explosion won the Futures Game Most Valuable Player Award, and the centre fielder believes he was encouraged during the middle of his fourth season with the ‘ farm system.
“This definitely motivates me,” De Paula told Bill Shaykin of the Los Angeles Times. “It was a huge moment to prove who I really am, mentally, especially for myself.”
This season with the High A Great Lakes Runes, Depola has 10 home runs in 78 games, 26 stolen bases and .834 OPS.
The 20-year-old’s talent cannot be denied, and as the July 31 deadline approaches, the name of De Paula is why he was involved in the trade rumours. De Poula ranks 27th in the top 100 of MLB Pipeline, and several teams around the league are certainly interested in buying up young outfielders.
But De Paula hopes that solid performances on the field will help him reach the big leagues in Blue.
“I hope it’s in God’s plan,” De Paula said. “At the end of the day, we never make decisions, we need to focus on what we need to do on the field and what will happen.
“But I really hope I’ll become a and stay there for a very long time.”
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Photo credit: Brett Davis-Immagn Image
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