Ethan Salas, the San Diego Padres’ second-ranked prospect in the 2025 season, has not developed as quickly as AJ Preller and the organization foresaw when they signed him two years ago. When is it time to get worried?

In January 2023, the Padres signed then-16-year-old catcher Ethan Salas with a record-breaking $5.6 million contract bonus, the largest international figure until the Los Angeles Dodgers handed Roki Sasaki $6.5 million ahead of the 2025 season.

Salas, in addition to an impressive left-handed swing, had been described with an 80-grade potential, specifically in the realm of catching skills and arm strength behind the plate.

In 189 career MiLB games, Salas is slashing .221/.305/.347 with 13 home runs and 41 doubles.

Before we get any further, give the kid a break. He isn’t even 19 years old (June 1, 2006). It’s hard to compare Salas’ numbers in MiLB with other top prospect catchers who had fruitful careers, simply because those players went through the farm at older ages.

Yet Salas looked promising out of the gate. In Low-A Lake Elsinore as a 17-year-old in his first professional season in 2023, Salas slashed .267/.350/.487 with nine home runs and 11 doubles in 48 games.

Toward the end of the season, the Padres promoted Salas to High-A Fort Wayne, where he struggled in nine games, going 7-for-35 with one double. Nevertheless, San Diego promoted him once again to Double-A San Antonio for another nine contests, where Salas fared 5-for-28 with an extra base hit.

Clearly, there is a common theme: the Padres want to challenge Ethan Salas.

However, have they rushed him?

There are two perspectives on the situation.

First, this is just part of the process, and Salas is still young.

Catchers historically take longer to develop than most prospects, especially those brought up as teenagers. The defensive demands of the position are steep: game-calling, framing, blocking, controlling the running game, managing a pitching staff—all while still trying to hit at a professional level. It’s one of the most physically and mentally taxing positions in the sport.

Look at stars like Salvador Perez or Adley Rutschman. Both were older than Salas when they debuted in the minors.

Perez spent two years in MiLB, beginning when he was 19 and debuted for the Royals at 21.

Rutschman, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft, spent three years in the minors beginning at 21 and debuted for the Orioles at 24.

In this sense, 19-year-old Salas’ numbers aren’t alarming—they’re contextual. He’s learning on the fly, at levels many prospects don’t reach until 21.

Then there’s the second perspective: the Padres are too aggressive.

Salas was clearly special in 2023—his maturity at the plate in Low-A was undeniable. But a jump from Low-A to Double-A in just a few months is massive, and his production stalled accordingly.

His struggles in Fort Wayne and San Antonio, followed by middling numbers to start 2025 (.188/.325/.219 in 10 games in Double-A), suggest Salas may have benefited from more time to adjust and dominate at each level. 

Development isn’t linear, and piling challenges on a teenage catcher might risk long-term confidence and growth. At the same time, how could the Padres not challenge him?

Salas’ raw talent forced their hand. Players with 80-grade tools don’t come around often, and few international signings have ever made such an immediate impression. When you see an 18-year-old carry himself with big-league poise and drive the ball with authority from the left side, it’s hard not to dream—and act—in response.

But the mental side of that equation can’t be ignored. The label of a future franchise cornerstone before you are a legal adult comes with immense pressure, especially when the results stop coming. You start pressing. You lose your rhythm. You stop having fun. And when the game becomes a job that early, especially at catcher — where every mistake is amplified — it can shake even the most gifted player.

So, when is it time to worry?

Maybe not yet. But it might be time to slow down and let the game come to Salas. The talent is still there—it just needs the right environment to thrive.

Max Schwartzberg

A San Diegan born and raised, Max Schwartzberg is a diehard Padres fan who created and hosts the YouTube channel Padres Previews, a hub where he passionately delivers Padres news, updates, reactions, and hype videos. At Northeastern, Max broadcasts and writes for baseball, basketball, and hockey. Max dreams of following in the steps of Padres broadcaster and Northeastern alumnus Don Orsillo to become a Major League Baseball announcer.