The Arizona Fall League kicked off on Tuesday, and San Diego Padres minor leaguers entered action with the Peoria Javelinas. The Padres organization sent the following eight players to the AFL this fall:

• C Ethan Salas
• SS Leodalis De Vries
• 1B Romeo Sanabria
• RHP Ryan Bergert
• RHP Luis German
• LHP Harry Gustin
• RHP David Morgan
• RHP Gabe Mosser

With the Javelinas entering play today, here is a recap of how the Padres’ minor leaguers performed.

Peoria Javelinas – 13
Glendale Desert Dogs – 15
Ethan Salas – 1-for-5, Two-Run Home Run
Romeo Sanabria – 2-for-4, Two Singles, Walk
Gabe Mosser – 0.2 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (39 pitches – 24 strikes)

Only three of the eight Padres minor leaguers appeared in the Javelinas’ season opener. Gabe Mosser started for the Javelinas but struggled mightily to record the third out. While Mosser was able to punch out Matt McLain, he allowed four hits after recording two outs, and none of those hits could be considered “cheap,” as the exit velocities ranged from 98 mph to 112 mph off the bat. Mosser was pulled with two outs after a home run to Michael Turner. It was far from an ideal start from the right-hander, who posted a 3.72 FIP in his final starts of the regular season for the El Paso Chihuahuas.

Ethan Salas’ first hit of the @MLBazFallLeague season is a big one!

The @Padres‘ top prospect ropes a two-run homer 402 ft to center field: pic.twitter.com/RnqxQkFX3P

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 8, 2024

Only two of the three Padres positional prospects saw action in the game, as Leodalis De Vries was not in the starting lineup and did not enter the game as a substitution. Ethan Salas and Romeo Sanabria each received five plate appearances in a game that ended up looking like a football game in terms of the score. Salas had one hit in his five plate appearances, but he really made it count, sending a towering two-run home run to right-center field in the seventh inning.

Meanwhile, Romeo Sanabria reached base in three of his five plate appearances, with two hard-hit singles and a walk. Sanabria was putting on quite a show with the radar gun as his exit velocities went from a low of 99.7 mph to a high of 107.4 mph. The most notable observation about Sanabria’s performance is that he did not whiff a single time… all game. Sanabria’s bat-to-ball skills have been praised by evaluators and observers alike, and his growth as a high-OBP, low-strikeout bat could make him an appealing prospect as he grows in the system.

The Javelinas return to action Wednesday against the Surprise Saguaros, and on Thursday, right-hander Ryan Bergert will make his first start of the AFL season against the Glendale Desert Dogs.

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.