Los Angeles Dodgers top prospect Josue De Paula recently made his MLB debut with LA.
He’s had a few very solid moments at the plate, and he’s showcased his impressive plate discipline with an ability to put the ball in play and drive it to the opposite side of the field.
De Paula is still very young, so there’s plenty of time to develop in the coming years, but it’s been a welcome sign thus far in his first handful of MLB action.
Recently, Josue De Paula shared an honest message about dealing with critics to Dodgers reporter Fabian Ardaya.
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Josue De Paula Shares Honest Message
Per Ardaya, here is what Josue De Paula had to say about critics calling out his defense:
“I know that’s a big area of improvement for me,” said De Paula. “I know I got a lot of hate on it. I’m that type: if I get hate on it, I’m going to focus on it more. So I’m gonna shut a lot of people up with my defense very soon. It’s gonna take some time.”
Even manager Dave Roberts said that De Paula still has a lot of development to do in the outfield, but it’s been clear De Paula’s defense isn’t the reason he’s in the show.
Ardaya notes that De Paula could have a full-time role with the Dodgers if he shores up his defensive ability:
“The list of helpful voices kept growing over the first 10 days of De Paula’s big-league career. His bat could be special, but De Paula’s path to impacting the 2027 Dodgers becomes a lot easier if he proves he can handle the corner outfield. Mookie Betts, a six-time Gold Glove winner in right field, gave him pointers on how to shag fly balls. Manager Dave Roberts, who spent 10 years patrolling big-league outfields, goes out of his way to ensure De Paula emphasizes the details.”
With all the stars on the Dodgers roster, De Paula’s development is in good hands.
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Josue De Paula’s Rookie Campaign Thus Far
Josue De Paula has played in just 10 games for LA, and across his first 38 MLB plate appearances, he’s batted .286 with 10 walks, eight hits, six runs, one home run, and 3 doubles.
Those are very solid numbers to start your MLB career, and especially as a top prospect.
Here is some of De Paula’s prospect bio, per MiLB.com:
“De Paula draws comparisons to a slightly smaller but more athletic version of Yordan Alvarez, thanks to his precocious combination of swing decisions and exit velocities. He offered at just 14 percent of pitches outside the strike zone last season — by comparison, Juan Soto led the Majors with a 16 percent rate — and is supremely comfortable working deep counts in order to find pitches he can punish.”
Yordan Alvarez? The frontrunner for 2026 AL MVP? Not a bad comparison. The future looks bright for Josue De Paula thus far.
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Los Angeles Dodgers Josue De Paula Shares Honest Message Amid Defensive Criticism