Two years ago, Ethan Salas began the season as MLB’s No. 8 overall prospect. Then a 17-year-old wunderkind who commanded a $5.6 million signing bonus on the international market in January 2023, the hype train was in full force.
It may have taken a bit longer than expected, but that top-flight talent is beginning to shine through.
Salas homered in his third consecutive contest Tuesday afternoon during Double-A San Antonio’s 17-7 loss to Tulsa at ONEOK Field. It marked the second time in his pro career he has gone deep in three straight games, having last done so for Single-A Lake Elsinore (July 4-6, 2023).
The Padres’ No. 2 prospect has amassed four consecutive multihit performances and six in his first 17 games, leading to a .305/.379/.525 slash line across 66 plate appearances. His latest homer was left-on-left damage against Adam Serwinowski (LAD No. 11).
These dingers were Salas’ first in regular-season action since August 2024 with High-A Fort Wayne. (He hit four roundtrippers for the Peoria Javelinas during the Arizona Fall League en route to a Fall Stars Game appearance.) The vast majority of his ‘25 campaign was sidetracked by a back injury that didn’t enable him to play a game beyond April 17.
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Although Salas is not particularly known for his power, he has always had plenty of juice in his swing. He went deep nine times in 48 games during his spin through the California League as a 17-year-old in parks that often engulf young hitters still filling out their frames. The Texas League is a near 180-degree flip from those environs, but each of this season's taters were walloped. The first two came at 106 mph off the bat (per Trackman) or higher.
Although he went homerless through the first 14 games of the year, the signs have been there. MLB’s No. 10 catching prospect went deep during the club’s Spring Breakout game in March (and threw out a pair of potential basestealers to boot). He entered the day running a 33.3 percent line-drive rate for San Antonio, tied for third-highest among all Padres Minor Leaguers.
Uniquely enough for a full-time catcher, Salas has done his damage from atop the batting order. Just one Major League catcher since at least 1900 has homered in three consecutive games while hitting leadoff -- the Twins' Mitch Garver on July 17, 20 and 22, 2019. (Salas served as the designated hitter in one of the three games.)
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Salas has gone 9-for-21 with 20 total bases -- including two doubles and three homers -- with nine RBIs and as many walks (three) as strikeouts in his past six games. His 1.452 OPS over that span far and away leads the Texas League, and he’s doing it all as the second-youngest player on the circuit at 19 years old. (MLB’s No. 4 prospect Leo De Vries, a former Padres farmhand now with the A's, is the youngest.)