Padres phenom makes pro debut with Lake Elsinore
LAKE ELSINORE – Last week was an exciting one at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore. Not just because the Storm had a winning week, or picked up their 25th win of the season, placing them second in the California League’s South Division, but also because of who showed up to play. Namely, one Ethan Salas, a 16-year-old that proved he can hang with the big boys.
While Salas, who doesn’t even have a learner’s permit yet, may not be able to drive to the ballpark, he sure can drive the ball, which is why the Padres gave him over 5 million dollars to do so. Touted as San Diego’s No. 3 prospect, Salas signed with the team, out of Venezuela, as an international free agent on Jan. 15. While the youngest member in the Padres organization was born in Florida, he moved with his family to Venezuela at a young age.
When Salas signed with the Padres, it was for $5.6 million, taking nearly all of the organization’s $5,825,500 base signing pool. Not too shabby for the young phenom who turned 17 on June 1 and was ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 international prospect for 2023. He began the 2023 season ranked as San Diego’s No. 3 prospect, and the genes run in the family as his brother, Jose Salas, who signed with the Marlins for $2.8 million in July 2019. He was later traded to the Twins in January of this year.
Ethan’s journey to the big leagues officially started last week on Tuesday, May 29, when he batted second as the designated hitter. After the eighth pitch of his first at bat, Salas went the other way for an opposite-field double off Visalia righty Jacob Steinmetz, the D-backs’ third-round pick in last year’s Draft. The start makes him just the third player since 2018 to play in Single-A in their age-17 seasons, joining fellow San Diego prospect Samuel Zavala and Angels outfielder Nelson Rada…ranked as the No. 86 overall prospect in baseball and the No. 9 catcher according to MLB.com as of his debut in May 2023.
“I was just really happy,” Salas told the media of finally making his pro debut. “I wasn’t nervous. I’ve been on bigger stages — Spring Training, my winter ball debut, so I went into tonight pretty relaxed. Just went about it like it was any other game.”
Ethan skipped over the Rookie-level Complex League entirely and was assigned to Single-A to begin his professional career. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Salas scored the go-ahead run and went 2-for-3 with a double, a single and a walk in Lake Elsinore’s 3-1 win.
“I’m really happy about the win,” Salas said after his first game. “The way I see baseball and the way I see any competition is that I have to do whatever it takes to win. I didn’t want this to be all about me and my debut, I just wanted to go out there and win a game.”
The phenom already displays a lot of confidence in himself and says fans should know he is a fun, humble, just exciting guy to be around. “I just go out there and play my game as hard as I can and don’t really pay attention to anything else,” he says. “This is my life. This is what I do 24/7, and every time I’m out there I just play like it’s my last. I’m just here to play, have fun and win a ballgame.”
So, how does all this work, being under 18 years of age and playing professional baseball? A player whose residence is in the United States, Canada, or U.S. territories (e.g., Puerto Rico) can be drafted through the MLB’s First-Year Player amateur draft, referred to as the Rule 4 Draft. Only a player who has completed high school or one year at junior college but did not attend a four-year university is eligible for the amateur draft. Players who have completed their junior year at a four-year university or who are twenty-one years of age (whichever comes first) may also be eligible.
However, for an international player, there is no draft, and to play for an MLB team, international players must be signed during the international signing period, which started Jan. 15, and lasts through Dec. 15, 2023. To be eligible for the international signing period, a player only needs to be sixteen years old. Each team has a cap placed on the pool of money that can be used to sign international players, which is usually disbursed to players as a signing bonus. Perhaps a minor loophole for players not needing a high school diploma or GED, but talent is absolutely required at the other end of the spectrum.
For schedules, or to follow games online, visit www.stormbaseball.com. Salas and the Storm get back to action, on the road, this week against Fresno, and then local fans can head out to the park when the team gets back for a home series next week versus Stockton.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
