Who is Ethan Salas Padres catcher, bio, age, height, contract, baseball stats

Ethan Salas is a rising Venezuelan baseball player who plays as a catcher and a prospect for the Padres system recently making his Minor League debut at the age of 16, find out more about him below

Ethan made his debut during while playing for the San Diego Padres’ Single-A affiliate, Lake Elsinore Storm.

Who is Ethan Salas Padres catcher, bio, age, height, contract and baseball stats

At 16 years old, Padres prospect Ethan Salas has been added to their Single-A Lake Elsinore roster.

Salas will make his @MiLB debut tonight and will be the first 2006-born player to play in the minors. pic.twitter.com/2roO9zzZ8s

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 30, 2023

Welcome to Lake Elsinore! In his very first at bat, Ethan Salas delivers with a double in an 8-pitch AB!#StormTheLake pic.twitter.com/Cx4p5VSF1l

— Lake Elsinore Storm Baseball (@Storm_Baseball) May 31, 2023

Interestingly, Ethan Salas made the jump over the rookie-level Arizona Complex League straight into the Single-A, which says a lot about his skills and talents.

Ethan Salas brief bio

Ethan Salas is a teenage Venezuelan catcher, who was born in 2006 in Kissimmee, Fla. Salas just recently made headlines after making his minor league debut aged just 16. Salas is currently the No. 86 rank among other baseball prospects and the No. 3 prospect in the Padres system.

Ethan Salas is a 2024 C with a 6-0 148 lb. frame from Caracas.

Ethan Salas makes Minor League debut as youngest player in the league

Padres prospect Ethan Salas, made his Minor League debut with the Lake Elsinore Storm, which is the Single-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres on Tuesday. The teenager batted second and served as the Storm’s designated hitter against the Visalia Rawhide who are the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Single-A affiliate.

During the match, Salas recorded a hit in each of his first two at-bats. Since Salas was just 16 years old while making his minor league debut with the Storm, he is now the youngest player in full-season minor league baseball.

Ethan Salas achievements

Following his debut, Salas is now the youngest player in minor league baseball and the first player born in 2006 to play at that level. Salas is also the first member of his international class to make an appearance in the minors.

Before Salas took over the record, Nelson Rada (born August 24, 2005) was the youngest player in the minors. Rada, who will now turn 18 this summer, plays as an outfielder for the Inland Empire 66ers, the Single-A affiliate of the Angels.

Moreover, Salas is also one of three players since 2018 to play in the minor leagues aged 17 or younger. The other two players are Rada and Padres outfielder Samuel Zavala, who debuted in with Lake Elsinore, aged 17 back in 2022.

Interestingly, both Rada and Zavala previously played at complex-level play before making the jump to full-season ball. However, Salas skipped over the rookie level altogether, making his transition much more difficult.

Ethan Salas career timeline

Salas officially joined the San Diego’s Single-A affiliate roster, the Lake Elsinore Storm, on Tuesday. Before that, he attended part of Padres spring training and even made a Cactus League appearance on March 11. During that competition, he caught four innings and grounded out to second in the one at-bat he took.

Salas underwent a brief setback due to right shoulder soreness. However, he returned during the extended portion of spring training around May 14. He eventually made the jump over the rookie-level Arizona Complex League into Single-A.

Padres scouting director Chris Kemp stated this about Salas the past winter:

He’s kind of the total-package catcher. It’s just rare. This is my ninth year doing international scouting and, for us, this is the most interesting guy we’ve scouted.”

Ethan Salas contract

Ethan Salas is currently signed to a $5.6 million contract with the Padres franchise. The Venezuelan catcher signed the deal about four months ago during the opening of the 2023 international window. Following the deal, Salas is highest-paid international prospect of that signing period.

List of youngest MLB players of all time

Although Salas’ achievement is impressive and he could reach the majors at a young age, he still would not the youngest player in MLB history. In fact, this record belongs to Joe Nuxhall of the Cincinnati Reds, who made his MLB debut aged just 15.

Check out the full list of the youngest MLB players of all time:

National League

American League

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