San Diego Padres: Ethan Salas Is Not Your Ordinary 17-Year Old Prodigy

I must preface my article with this, “Ethan Salas is only 17.”

Any criticism that I give Mr. Salas (and there will be some) is truly nitpicking, as Salas, as a 17-year-old, has more than held his own in Lo-A ball. Having seen him, I can say firsthand, this kid is all he is cracked up to be.

When San Diego took Salas at 1 in the 2023 international draft, nobody was necessarily shocked. The Mariners had their claws on Felnin Celesten for years, and despite San Diego having the first pick, nobody was getting Felnin but Seattle. That gave the Padres the chance to take Salas, who seemingly shot up evaluator’s boards, and to some, overtook Celesten as the top-rated international signee in 2023. While I am more versed in the Mariners system, I am starting to see why Salas was so highly regarded. He looks like the real catch of this class (no disrespect to Celesten). A talent unlike anyone has seen in years, maybe decades, or, maybe ever.

One just needs to look at Salas and you’ll see he is no ordinary 17-year-old. The teen stands 6-2 and looks like the most imposing player on the field with a locked-in demeanor and focus. Fans watching pre-game at Salas’s warmups take note of how locked-in he truly is. Salas is not one to stop and sign autographs, leading many to assume he is not friendly or approachable. While the latter may be true on the field for fans, Salas just focuses on the game. He knows what his job is, winning.

He is quiet and keeps his head down. However, the kid is a true assassin in the making on the diamond.

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When watching Salas at the plate, he does not seem to get rattled, displaying a calm and collected approach. This falls right in line with his pregame mentality. Right now, that is not too much of a bad thing. However, with that calm and collected nature, comes a bit less aggression.

Salas, who has a lot of power potential and hit ability, has a very relaxed stance and swing. He stands almost straight up at the box with little bending in his legs and unleashes a swing that could have a lot more oomph to it if he was able to get some momentum. Take it all in stride, Salas could easily end up with double-digit HRs even having played less than half a season in Lo-A.

Given some more in-depth coaching, Salas could really tap into that power. I mentioned the word assassin in the making before. He is going to absolutely kill opposing major league pitching in the future. One area of growth will need to be pitch recognition. Modesto really tried to challenge Salas by throwing him off speed and breaking balls. Nuts closer, Nate Garabitos, also blew one by him at 99 mph. Again, no cause for real concern yet, just a mere observation.

Behind the plate, defense is also a key factor in Salas’s development thus far. Again, and I cannot stress this enough, at 17, he does things most cannot. Salas is a natural at the catcher position. One thing that caught my eye, at a recent game in Modesto, noticing his pitcher was struggling to maintain composure, Salas walked to the mound on his own accord to calm his pitcher’s nerves. It is little things such as this which show maturity and poise. To know when your pitcher is off his game and settle him down, these traits aren’t even held by some more advanced game callers in baseball, let alone a 17-year-old.

When projecting Salas’s future growth, the sky is really just the beginning, not the limit. Teenagers who are not legally allowed to vote do not hit affiliated ball often. This has happened twice in the Cal League this year with Nelson Rada of the Angels hitting Lo-A at 17. Salas, however, was on the Lake Elsinore roster at 16, just a few days before he hit the 17 number. Rada, who I love as a prospect, has a great batting eye with a solid hit tool and little power potential. Salas has all 3 of those traits and does so at one of the hardest positions in baseball to master offensive skills.

San Diego has a good track record of finding prospects both internationally and domestically. With all the trades the team has made over the last 5 years, the farm system needed to be rather deep. When the Juan Soto deal occurred, San Diego dealt such a vast amount of farm players, the prevailing thought was they’d take years to fully re-stock. With Salas in the fold, not only do the Padres have him, a potential top overall MLB prospect, but they also have Jackson Merrill and Dylan Lesko. That gives San Diego three Top-65 prospects. While finding players such as Salas is not easy, he is the true centerpiece of this farm system.

You have to ask yourself if San Diego knew how good Salas could be and that was why they gave up the farm (literally). They’d obviously known they were taking him at the time of the Soto deal. In fact, you really do not have to wonder if San Diego knew this. Just one look at Salas in action, you know he is a gifted talent.

Image Source: MLB