Jose De Leon

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #22 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: A two-time Top 100 prospect, De Leon made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 2016. He's still prospect-eligible because injuries have ravaged his career, beginning with shoulder inflammation and ending with Tommy John surgery in 2018 that affected his stuff well into 2019. De Leon was acquired by the Reds for cash after the 2019 season and he had a pair of stints in the bullpen.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: At the end of 2020, De Leon showed glimpses of the form that once made him a top prospect. He regained 3-4 mph on his fastball, turning a 91-92 mph below-average offering back into at least an average pitch. De Leon's fastball doesn't have to be great, but if it's 94-96, it sets up a plus 85-87 mph changeup. De Leon has always thrown the changeup with excellent deception, but his improved arm speed helps him sell it better and it has excellent fading action. His slider improved as well. He doesn't command it as well as his fastball and changeup, but it has plenty of lateral sweep away from righties.
  
  THE FUTURE: Durability will remain a concern considering De Leon's injury history, but a year after the Reds helped Lucas Sims return to prominence, De Leon could be the next reclamation project to click.
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #28 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: It's fair to wonder if De Leon will ever return to the form he showed in 2015 and 2016 when he was one of the best starting pitching prospects in baseball. The Rays have never really seen that version of De Leon since he was acquired in 2017 for Logan Forsythe. He missed time with a flexor strain and a lat strain in 2017 and missed all of 2018 because of Tommy John surgery in March.
  
  Scouting Report: The Rays have to hope that De Leon's absolute lack of stuff in 2017 was a precursor of the elbow injury that wiped out his 2018 season. With the Dodgers, De Leon had a 90-94 mph above-average fastball with late life, a plus changeup and an average slider. With the Rays, he was sometimes trying to survive without even one average pitch as his fastball backed up to 86-89 mph.
  
  The Future: The Rays decided to keep De Leon on the 40-man roster, which is an indication that they believe there's still a chance he can be a big league starter. De Leon's timetable should have him back on the mound pitching in games by midseason.
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #25 prospect in 2018
  The baseball world believed that the Rays acquired a possible mid-rotation starter when they landed De Leon from the Dodgers for second baseman Logan Forsythe after the 2016 season. De Leon, however, struggled with injuries throughout the campaign, including three separate stints on the disabled list, beginning with a flexor issue in his right forearm and later a lat strain after being a late addition to Puerto Rico's WBC team. Although he did throw 2.2 innings for Tampa Bay on May 29 when the big league team was short on pitching, De Leon bounced between Triple-A Durham as well as the Florida State and Gulf Coast leagues, accumulating only 38.1 innings in the process. His inability to get on track in 2017 overshadowed De Leon's potential. He possesses a swing-and-miss arsenal that includes a low-to-mid 90s fastball with late movement, but at times was down to 86-90 mph in 2017. He mixes his heater with a changeup that keeps hitters from both sides of the plate off-balance. His slider also flashes above-average potential, particularly against righthanded hitters. The Rays hope that De Leon is able to open the 2018 season in the Triple-A rotation.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #3 prospect in 2017
  De Leon quickly turned into a late-round gem for the Dodgers by improving his conditioning after signing and seeing his stuff spike in turn. He missed time with shoulder inflammation in 2016 but dominated when healthy with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He made his major league debut in September. De Leon pitches off a fastball that sits 90-94 mph and touches 96. It's not overpowering velocity, but it has late life and he hides the ball well behind his body in his delivery, so the ball jumps on hitters faster than they expect, leading to empty swings in the strike zone. His go-to weapon is an 80-84 mph changeup. It's a plus pitch with good speed differential off his fastball and is effective against both lefties and righties. De Leon's third pitch is an average slider, a pitch some evaluators would like to see him use more frequently. They'd also like to see more of him; he's yet to top 115 innings in a season. With a delivery that will require some maintenance, durability is still a question mark. If De Leon can maintain the stuff he showed at the end of 2016 over a full season's workload, he can be a No. 2 starter. He has a chance to realize that potential immediately in 2017.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #3 prospect in 2016
  De Leon was born in Puerto Rico, went undrafted out of high school, then spent three seasons as Southern's ace. The Dodgers nabbed him in the 24th round in 2013, and De Leon's stock has taken off after he transformed his body and improved his stuff. As De Leon's body improved and became more athletic, he made mechanical adjustments. He got more on line to the plate and kept the ball behind his body to improve his deceptiveness. His stuff ticked up in 2014, and it carried over to 2015. De Leon's fastball sits at 91-94 mph and reaches 96. He commands the pitch well, uses all quadrants of the strike zone and isn't afraid to pitch up, because his fastball has late riding life to sneak past hitters. The Dodgers challenged De Leon to improve his changeup and he responded, to the point where it's now his go-to secondary pitch and a plus offering he throws to lefties and righties. He tends to catch hitters out front with awkward, off-balance swings. His average breaking ball has hard three-quarters action and can also induce swings and misses from righthanders. De Leon's stuff ticked down late in 2015 as fatigue caught up with him. De Leon's work ethic has helped him go from a draft afterthought to one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. He has a chance to be a No. 2 or 3 starter, likely opening 2016 at Triple-A Oklahoma City, with a chance to make his big league debut by midseason.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #6 prospect in 2015
  Born in Puerto Rico, De Leon went undrafted out of high school before spending three seasons at Southern, including a sophomore season when he led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in strikeouts. When the Dodgers drafted him in the 24th round in 2013, he threw 90-93 mph but was pudgy and didn't have an out pitch. The Dodgers were stunned to see his stock soar in 2014, as he lost weight, cranked up his stuff and made mechanical adjustments en route to a breakthrough season, followed by strong winter ball showing in the Puerto Rican League. De Leon started 2014 in extended spring training, which shows how lightly he was regarded as a college draft pick coming into the year. He steadily lost weight and improved his conditioning, which helped him make mechanical adjustments, moving from the third base side of the rubber to the first base side to help him stay more online to the plate. His fastball also jumped up to 93-96 mph and his breaking ball improved, going from a sweepy pitch to a hard, power pitch at 80-82 mph with hybrid action between a true curveball and a slider. By any name, the pitch gets swings and misses. De Leon didn't need to throw his fringe-average changeup much during the season, but he focused on it during instructional league and it has a chance to be an average pitch. His remarkable transformation has taken him from long shot to a potential mid-rotation starter, perhaps more if his changeup improves. If he continues his dominance, he could zip through the system quickly.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Pacific Coast League #3 prospect in 2016
  A year after claiming the Double-A Southern League batting title, Contreras starred for Iowa and made his major league debut on June 19. He signed as a third baseman before converting to catcher in 2012. "Willson can play anywhere you want him to: first base, third base or any of the outfield positions," Iowa manager Marty Pevy said. "He can run. He is super athletic, with a strong arm. He's the most athletic catcher in baseball today." Contreras has demonstrated an ability to hit for average and power, and he should be above-average on both counts. He has an above-average arm behind the plate and has improved his blocking and receiving. He runs well for a catcher and has played left field and first base as well as catcher with Chicago. He is the organization's catcher of the future.
• 
  Ranked Texas League #3 prospect in 2015
  The Puerto Rico native and former Southern standout got into better shape after the 2013 season and it has put his pro career on a fast track. The 24th-rounder leads with a fastball at 93-94 mph with late life, but the refinement of his changeup has elevated his stature. De Leon's changeup is a plus pitch that has fade, and he throws the pitch with fastball arm speed. It's an out pitch for him, garnering the most swings and misses. De Leon commands his three-pitch mix well, elevating the heater for strikeouts and throwing a slurvy breaking ball, which flashes solid-average in the low 80s. Also key to De Leon's growth is a move to the third-base side of the rubber, which enables him to throw strikes to both sides of the plate. "I was very, very impressed with him," one TL coach said. "Urias is the No. 1 prospect (in the Dodgers system), but (De Leon) could be even better. He has better command, and he gets the swings and misses.""
• 
  Ranked Pioneer League #3 prospect in 2014
  De Leon ranked as the Southwestern Athletic Conference's top prospect his last two seasons at Southern with a low-90s fastball, but his raw secondary stuff held him back in the draft. The Puerto Rico native improved his conditioning and made adjustments to become a different pitcher while repeating the PL, primarily moving from the first-base side of the rubber to the third-base side. "That's what turned everything around," Ogden pitching coach Greg Sabat said. "He was able to hit both sides of the plate." De Leon bumped his fastball velocity up to the 94-96 mph range and has added depth to his 81-82 breaking ball, making it a plus pitch and helping him lead the league in strikeouts (77) despite an August promotion to low Class A Great Lakes. De Leon has a changeup that is almost average now and projects to get better with experience, but he already commands all three of his pitches.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #29 prospect in 2017
• Ranked Baseball America's #23 prospect in 2016

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A two-time Top 100 prospect, De Leon made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 2016. He's still prospect-eligible because injuries have ravaged his career, beginning with shoulder inflammation and ending with Tommy John surgery in 2018 that affected his stuff well into 2019. De Leon was acquired by the Reds for cash after the 2019 season and he had a pair of stints in the bullpen.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: At the end of 2020, De Leon showed glimpses of the form that once made him a top prospect. He regained 3-4 mph on his fastball, turning a 91-92 mph below-average offering back into at least an average pitch. De Leon's fastball doesn't have to be great, but if it's 94-96, it sets up a plus 85-87 mph changeup. De Leon has always thrown the changeup with excellent deception, but his improved arm speed helps him sell it better and it has excellent fading action. His slider improved as well. He doesn't command it as well as his fastball and changeup, but it has plenty of lateral sweep away from righties.
  
  THE FUTURE: Durability will remain a concern considering De Leon's injury history, but a year after the Reds helped Lucas Sims return to prominence, De Leon could be the next reclamation project to click.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A two-time Top 100 prospect, De Leon made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 2016. He's still prospect-eligible because injuries have ravaged his career, beginning with shoulder inflammation and ending with Tommy John surgery in 2018 that affected his stuff well into 2019. De Leon was acquired by the Reds for cash after the 2019 season and he had a pair of stints in the bullpen.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: At the end of 2020, De Leon showed glimpses of the form that once made him a top prospect. He regained 3-4 mph on his fastball, turning a 91-92 mph below-average offering back into at least an average pitch. De Leon's fastball doesn't have to be great, but if it's 94-96, it sets up a plus 85-87 mph changeup. De Leon has always thrown the changeup with excellent deception, but his improved arm speed helps him sell it better and it has excellent fading action. His slider improved as well. He doesn't command it as well as his fastball and changeup, but it has plenty of lateral sweep away from righties.
  
  THE FUTURE: Durability will remain a concern considering De Leon's injury history, but a year after the Reds helped Lucas Sims return to prominence, De Leon could be the next reclamation project to click.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: De Leon quickly turned into a late-round gem for the Dodgers by improving his conditioning after signing and seeing his stuff spike in turn. He missed time with shoulder inflammation in 2016 but dominated when healthy with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He made his major league debut in September. Scouting Report: De Leon pitches off a fastball that sits 90-94 mph and touches 96. It's not overpowering velocity, but it has late life and he hides the ball well behind his body in his delivery, so the ball jumps on hitters faster than they expect, leading to empty swings in the strike zone. His go-to weapon is an 80-84 mph changeup. It's a plus pitch with good speed differential off his fastball and is effective against both lefties and righties. De Leon's third pitch is an average slider, a pitch some evaluators would like to see him use more frequently. They'd also like to see more of him; he's yet to top 115 innings in a season. With a delivery that will require some maintenance, durability is still a question mark.
  
  The Future: If De Leon can maintain the stuff he showed at the end of 2016 over a full season's workload, he can be a No. 2 starter. He has a chance to realize that potential immediately in 2017.