Every offseason the Philadelphia Phillies, along with every other MLB team, stockpile minor-league signings to increase organizational depth. There's also the hope that maybe, just maybe one of the cheap signings will turn out to be a hidden gem and contribute to the MLB club's success.
One of the Phillies' first moves this offseason was to sign outfielder Bryan De La Cruz to a minor-league contract, with an invitation to spring training. And to everyone's delight, the once-promising Miami Marlins slugger just put together an impressive winter ball season in the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM).
His dominant regular season resulted in De La Cruz winning the 2025-2026 MVP award. He received 57 of 69 first-place votes for 431 points.
In 44 regular season games for the Toros del Este, the 29-year-old De La Cruz hit .301 with an .887 OPS, eight home runs, nine doubles, and 40 RBIs. He led the league in RBIs, finished second in home runs, and was in the top five for slugging percentage and OPS. He helped lead his club to a 27-22 record and the top offense with 261 runs (5.33 runs/game).
#ToroVideo Llegó la remolcada No. 20 de la temporada para Bryan de la Cruz pic.twitter.com/trvMGiRsnM
— Toros Del Este (@TorosdelEste) November 26, 2025
Bryan De La Cruz's LIDOM MVP doesn't guarantee anything for the Phillies, but it's a good sign
Winter results don't mean anything in the grand scheme of things when it comes to translating success to MLB, but seeing De La Cruz put together an offseason like this is better than the alternative.
After a promising start to his big league career in Miami, De La Cruz fell on hard times to finish 2024 and in a small sample size in 2025.
He debuted for the Marlins in 2021, hitting .296 with a .783 OPS and five home runs in 58 games as a rookie. In his first full MLB season in 2023, De La Cruz hit .257 with a .715 OPS, 19 home runs, and 78 RBIs in 153 games.
He hit 18 home runs in just 105 games for Miami in 2024 before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. De La Cruz scuffled to finish that season and then found himself getting a chance with the desperate Atlanta Braves in 2025, where he made 50 plate appearances but stumbled to a .191/.240/.213 slash line.
Regardless of his previous MLB struggles, as a right-handed-hitting outfielder, De La Cruz should automatically get thrown into the mix for a chance to win a platoon role in left field during spring training. The Phillies have lefty Brandon Marsh penciled in left but will want to find someone who can hit left-handed pitching to split time. Perhaps De La Cruz's strong winter will help him make a good impression when he arrives in Clearwater in February.