Dodgers rookie Josue De Paula sat down with third base and outfield coach Dino Ebel in the visiting coach’s room at Great American Ball Park. Ebel pulled up defensive metrics on three different outfielders.
One was Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, the National League MVP favorite and MLB’s defensive fWAR leader. Another was Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages, who has evolved into an elite center fielder during his time with the organization. And the third was De Paula.
“There’s a lot of colors in the game, and when you have red, it’s not good, and when you have green, it’s good,” Ebel said in a recent conversation with The Times. “And he saw a lot of green from the other two players, and he saw some green and some red on his side. So it kind of hit home with him.”
The reports broke down his first step, going right and left, arm strength, and so on.
“Just comparing [Pages’] journey, too, with mine — and that it’s possible,” De Paula said of what he took from the conversation. “I have all the tools under my belt to be able to do so. It’s more about just being focused throughout the whole thing, and having that drive to want to do it.
“And when I saw it, it was also a motivation for me. It was like, all right, let’s go now.”
It was De Paula’s bat that earned him a call-up when Shohei Ohtani landed on the injured list. And it’s his bat that’s now making his case for a postseason roster spot. (“This is more of a trial run,” manager Dave Roberts said last week.)
For De Paula to stick in the majors, however, his development on the defensive side is going to be key. As he has risen through the system, his outfield play has lagged behind his offensive influence. But the Dodgers have already seen growth this year.
“Our goal is to become, one day, a Gold Glover,” Ebel said. “And I think he’s young enough to do it, and his mindset is right, he’s got a chance to do that.”
Dodgers special assistant Jason Heyward started poring over video of the team’s top prospects — a group chalk full of outfielders, led by De Paula — as soon as he began working for the Dodgers’ front office at the beginning of May.
“He handles constructive criticism, for me, with some of the best of them that I’ve been around,” Heyward said.
Heyward, a five-time Gold Glove outfielder, first met De Paula in spring training in 2024, when the prospect jumped in on outfield drills with the major leaguers. In Heyward’s new role, he’s made multiple trips to Tulsa, Okla., to work with De Paula and the rest of the group there.
Heyward emphasized building a consistent and productive routine.
“He makes it so easy to have something to make relatable to this because I’ve seen his work in the cage, I’ve seen his attention to detail,” Heyward said. “He takes on challenges, but it’s not a, ‘Let me hurry up and get to this challenge, let me rush through this.’ He’s like, ‘No, I’m going to go about this how I want to go about it, I’m not going to be rushed, I’m going to lock in, and I’m going to give this like all my focus.’”
That process on the offensive side was something Heyward encouraged De Paula to tap into in all parts of his game, including defense. But De Paula said Heyward also acknowledged that the nature of playing in the outfield can make that more difficult.
“Hitting, you are always unfocused on the next pitch, your mind is always going,” De Paula said. “But you could go three days without getting a fly ball. So it’s kind of easy for your mind to drift and stuff like that. But it’s just more about tips of engagement and that intensity of focus.”
Heyward was a fitting person to deliver the message. Once a heralded prospect for the Braves, he put together a 16-year MLB career that included a second-place rookie of the year finish, an All-Star nod, and a stellar reputation for defense and veteran leadership.
“It’s a blessing to have somebody like that in your corner, especially rooting for you, to be able to see your talent, like what you’re capable of,” De Paula said. “He’s been through it, so he knows, man. So it’s awesome to have somebody like that as your mentor.”
Coincidentally, De Paula would go on to launch a three-run home run as his first major-league hit, a feat he shares with Heyward — although Heyward did it in his first at-bat.
“It’s a very commendable job that all of our staff have done at every level,” Heyward said. “… I’d be doing a big injustice without giving everyone their flowers on this because it’s definitely been a group effort. … For someone like him who became a part of the organization at 16 years old, he’s a Dodger through and through.”
Over the past week and a half, the major-league coaching staff, which also had De Paula in major-league spring training camp the last two years, has taken over. And already, they’ve seen the benefit of the routine he’s developed this year.
“All the reports that we’ve gotten from our minor-league staff are right on cue,” Ebel said. “He’s been working, he’s bringing it right here to the major leagues. And it’s a pleasure for me, with some energy, coming out early every day — hasn’t missed. We’re working on game situations, ground balls, left, right, right at him, fly balls, shags during BP. So we’re on the right track.”
Dodgers two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell joined them one day in Miami, catching De Paula’s throws in early work. Though the new teammates wanted to keep the specifics of their conversations between them, Snell’s advice and encouragement made an impression — “It’s like putting fuel in a rocket,” De Paula said.
“He’s just really, really talented, lots to learn,” Snell said. “And excited for him in his journey and what it could turn into.”
In the next city, Cincinnati, Roberts spent an afternoon in left field with him while he was shagging fly balls during batting practice.
“I wanted to be up close to watch him get off on the baseball, watch his reads, his angles to balls and make sure he’s shagging the right way,” Roberts said. “Had some instruction for him; he was great.”
Roberts, too, has challenged De Paula to make defense a strength, one that will keep him in games, rather than lifted for a defensive replacement. And De Paula has met it with bright eyes and motivation.
“The trust on the defense is going to come,” De Paula said. “I have to prove it over time. And with the work that I’m doing on the field, I know I’m going to gain it.”
A gold glove is a goal of his too.
“That’s one thing about me, when my mind is set on something, I feel like it’s no going back,” De Paula said. “So, I’ve gotten a lot of hate on my defense, and I just love to prove people wrong. So I’m like, hey, all right, there’s a weakness there, but I’m gonna shut you up. Just give me some time. I’ve got you.”
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: latimes.com
