Elite Padres Prospect Hits First Pro Home Run Days After 17th Birthday

Catcher Ethan Salas, MLB’s top international prospect and No. 3 prospect in the Padres organization, connected on his first professional home run on Tuesday, just days after his 17th birthday.

The highly-touted Salas, who is the No. 86 prospect in all of baseball, signed with the Padres for $5.6 million at the beginning of the 2023 international signing window. In just six games with Single-A Lake Elsinore, he has already impressed with a .300 batting average, while drawing seven walks.

Tuesday night’s home run, a two-run blast in the seventh inning, was not only the first home run of his career, but also resulted in the first two RBIs of his career in the 6–5 loss to Fresno. 

Get used to this.

No. 1 international prospect (@Padres' No. 3) Ethan Salas just went yard for the first time as a pro for @Storm_Baseball: pic.twitter.com/lg5TaCyt04

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 7, 2023

According to MLB.com, Salas became just the third player since 2018 to play in Single-A during their age 17 season. He’s also more than four years younger than the average age of California League players.

Salas’s blast, what’s likely the first of many, signifies his potential and his exceptional ability to produce at the Single-A level at such a young age. As a result, the future seems bright for both Salas and the Padres.