This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter, and this week MLB.com editorial/social producer Ben Weinrib caught up with Deyvison De Los Santos in Nashville, Tenn. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

When the Marlins acquired Deyvison De Los Santos ahead of the Trade Deadline, they knew they were acquiring one of the top power hitters in the Minors. Now they’re hoping to develop him into a versatile player who could help the big league club relatively soon.

De Los Santos has plastered his name across Minor League leaderboards all season, where he ranks first in homers (35), total bases (269) and RBIs (105). Before becoming the Marlins’ No. 5 prospect via the July 25 trade that sent A.J. Puk to the D-backs, De Los Santos bashed his way from Double-A Amarillo to Triple-A Reno in Arizona's system.

The Dominican Republic native – who also ranks as MLB’s No. 10 first-base prospect – came up playing both corner-infield positions, although the D-backs shifted him exclusively to first base and designated hitter. Since joining Triple-A Jacksonville, he has played a quarter of his games at the hot corner, where he has yet to make an error entering Sunday.

“In general, we're going to seek to create versatility, and we never think that's a bad thing,” Marlins director of player development Rachel Balkovec said. “So why not add something to someone's repertoire and let them prove us wrong? It's kind of the approach that I think we'll be taking more often.”

De Los Santos is no doubt a hulking slugger – larger than his listed 6-foot-1 frame – but the Marlins think he’s more athletic than people give him credit for and that he moves well for his size.

Of course, power remains his calling card. With excellent bat speed to match his raw strength, De Los Santos has produced an average exit velocity of 90.7 mph at Triple-A. That ranks 24th among 462 players at the level with at least 100 at-bats and would rank in the 73rd percentile in the Majors, tied with All-Stars Luis Robert Jr. and Alec Bohm. Among Marlins, only Jesús Sánchez (93.3) and Jake Burger (92.0) hit the ball harder.

The 21-year-old De Los Santos has long had this kind of pop, but this breakout season was far from expected after he slashed .254/.297/.431 with 20 homers last year in Double-A. The D-backs left him unprotected in December’s Rule 5 Draft, where the Guardians selected him eighth overall. However, Cleveland couldn’t find a spot for De Los Santos and returned him to Arizona, allowing him to reset and fulfill his potential.

“I haven't had to adjust all that much, just try to continue to do what I've done in my career so far,” De Los Santos said through an interpreter. “It is gratifying. I'm going to continue working on it. I've had some low moments this year. I've had some high moments. I'm still working hard, and now I know how to get out of it.”

De Los Santos quickly made his impact felt in the Marlins’ organization. Despite playing just 24 games with Jacksonville entering Sunday, he already had hit three of the team's seven hardest-hit balls of the season, including his first homer with the Jumbo Shrimp, which rocketed out at 111.9 mph.

“He hit a ball when he first got to us in Norfolk and hit it where we don't see a whole lot of guys hit it in the first game,” Jumbo Shrimp manager Daren Brown said. “I saw it in batting practice. You see the ball come off his bat. It's different. Now it’s about, can he do it in the game facing somebody trying to get him out? For 21 years old, I've been impressed with where he's at.”

It’s worth noting that De Los Santos' ludicrous numbers with Amarillo (1.122 OPS) and Reno (.926) came in incredibly hitter-friendly environments. Amarillo has park factors (100 is the average) of 144 for runs and 178 for homers, while Reno sits at 108 and 99, respectively. Jacksonville, on the other hand, is a haven for pitchers, with park factors of 87 and 78, respectively.

Still, De Los Santos has continued to hammer the ball with Jacksonville, with whom he’s slashing .284/.337/.547 with seven homers. The Marlins believe that it's the kind of pop that will play at any position – regardless of whether he sticks at third or first.

“He hits bombs,” Balkovec said. “He's got a ton of power. And over a huge sample size, you're going to see that he's a true, through-and-through power hitter. Even if he was in a hitter-friendly park and league, I still think it's going to come through.”