ATLANTA -- Josue De Paula learned a lot working out with All-Stars Juan Soto and Elly De La Cruz, but very little of his education had to do with their talent on the baseball field.
The Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect wasn’t looking for tips on his swing or his approach at the plate; he was more interested in how the pair of stars were able to prepare themselves mentally during the grind of the long season.
De Paula -- who ranks No. 27 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospect list -- believes in his physical tools, but he knows those won’t be enough to make him the type of player he imagines he can be.
“I feel like with time, as long as I can dominate my mental [game], I'm going to be in a really good spot for a very long time,” De Paula said. “I got a few mental tips in just how they go about their work, how to go about their day, their routine, and just how to handle yourself in the full season.”
Those mental tips helped the 20-year-old stay within himself on Saturday as he captured the Larry Doby Most Valuable Player Award in the All-Star Futures Game. De Paula’s three-run home run in the fourth inning against White Sox No. 1 prospect Noah Schultz erased the American League’s 2-0 deficit, catapulting the National League to a 4-2 victory at Truist Park.
“It meant a lot,” De Paula said. “I was overtaken by emotions, especially doing it in front of my dad. That's something that doesn't happen very often.”
That mental focus was even more important during De Paula’s game-changing at-bat, as he stepped to the plate with very little information about the 6’10” lefty he was about to face.
“I just wanted to go up there, see ball, hit ball, knowing that we don't have any information on these pitchers,” De Paula said. “There was no way we could have prepped for them.”
A pair of singles by Zyhir Hope and Jesús Made put the tying runs on base, and while De Paula was paying attention to Schultz’s arsenal, he got a look at four pitches: two sinkers, a changeup and a fastball.
Then Schultz came after De Paula with three straight sliders.
“One was a ball, one was a strike, then he threw me another one that was very identical to the last one,” De Paula said. “So I saw it and hit it.”
De Paula -- who has drawn comparisons to Yordan Alvarez at the plate -- launched the pitch over the 16-foot-high brick wall in right-center field. The 108.5 mph blast measured 416 feet, giving the NL a 3-2 lead.
De Paula and Hope -- Los Angeles’ No. 2 prospect and No. 37 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 -- are teammates on the High-A Great Lakes Loons, so as he finished rounding the bases and saw Hope waiting for him at the plate, things felt pretty normal for De Paula.
“We do it often in the regular season,” De Paula said. “Seeing him work, me and him both going at it on the field and doing it together, him being there for that was a real help for me. It just made the whole process easier, him being here.”
In 78 games this season, De Paula has 10 home runs, 26 stolen bases and an .834 OPS, but his big moment Saturday will send him back to Great Lakes with a greater sense of confidence and belief in himself, something that could help propel him through the Dodgers’ system.
“It's definitely a motivator for me,” De Paula said. “Mentally, it was a big moment, just to prove to myself who I really am.”