Ethan Salas is already on the fast track, and the Padres’ top catching prospect now looks like San Diego’s best shot at producing a 2027 National League Rookie of the Year winner.
That’s the view from MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, who pointed to Salas as the Padres’ most likely rookie award contender for next season. It’s not hard to see why. The hype around Salas has been building since San Diego signed him as a 16-year-old international free agent in January 2023 for a $5.6-million bonus, and even now he still won’t turn 21 until June 1 next year.
He barely got his first taste of the majors this season, arriving in San Diego in early September. By the time the Padres’ year ended with a four-game loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Division Series, Salas had already made a little history of his own, becoming the youngest catcher ever to appear in a postseason game.
There’s also a technical wrinkle that keeps him in rookie territory for now. Salas would only lose rookie status for 2028 if he spends fewer than 23 days in the majors or finishes 2027 with fewer than 142 at-bats for the Padres.
Callis and Mayo said Salas’ path back to prominence started after a difficult stretch in the minors. He battled through injury-marred 2023-25 seasons at Single-A and Double-A, often facing players who were four to seven years older than him. But in 2026, he put everything together at Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso, which led to his September promotion and regular work during the stretch run and the Padres’ six-game playoff run.
“[Salas] reached Double-A as a 17-year-old in his pro debut, then struggled with injuries and getting rushed the next two seasons,” they wrote. “The athletic backstop rebounded in 2026, displaying offensive upside by slashing .296/.374/.448 (.822 OPS) with 10 homers and 17 steals in 96 games between Double-A and Triple-A, then going 10-for-39 (.256) with two homers as the youngest player (age 20) in the Majors this season.”
Salas also added another line to his resume on Sept. 28, when he was named the Minor League Defensive Player of the Year. Behind the plate, he brings plus arm strength and a plus-plus glove, giving him value that goes well beyond the bat.
The bigger picture for San Diego is that Salas may be the rare obvious answer in a system that doesn’t offer many immediate-impact alternatives. He enters 2027 as the organization’s No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 21 overall prospect, after being named San Diego’s 2026 Prospect of the Year.
Beyond Salas, only four of the Padres’ top 20 prospects are projected to have a real chance to debut in 2027: No. 7 pitcher Tucker Musgrove, No. 12 pitcher Luis Gutierrez, No. 14 pitcher Jagger Haynes and No. 19 outfielder Braedon Karpathios.
Among that group, Gutierrez may be the most likely to help next season. The 23-year-old left-hander was added to the 40-man roster on Nov. 2 after a season split across four injury-plagued stops in 2026. He posted a 4.25 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 36 innings and started only 13 games, but the Padres’ rotation needs could open a door for him.
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