Last January, the Padres signed catcher Ethan Salas, the highest-rated prospect on the international market. Over the next eight months, he made his professional debut as a 16-year-old and was promoted through two levels of the minor leagues to become the first player at least 17 years old in the last 40 years to play in the Texas League. It moved from just outside MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list to fifth overall.
So, this should come as no surprise but is still incredibly cool: Ethan Salas has been invited to Padres spring training.
The game's top prospect is one of 32 non-roster invitees (players not on the Padres' current 40-man roster) who will be with them at big league camp in Peoria, Ariz., in two weeks. If it's a little early for him to be in major league camp, well, it is.
I asked the organization when was the last time a child not old enough to vote was invited to a big league camp and they weren't sure. Obviously, it is very rare for the Elias Sports Office not to track this type of data.
It's a long shot that Salas somehow finds his way onto the Opening Day roster. But, it's certainly not out of the question that Salas could make his major league debut in the next year or two, making him the first teenager to pitch in a big league game since Ivan Rodriguez in 1991. And now Pudge has a plaque in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
There are several other youngsters who could work their way into the Padres' Opening Day plans. Shortstop Jackson Merrill, the No. 2 prospect, is expected to compete for a roster spot. In the outfield (the Padres still only have two outfielders among their 40) Jacob Marcy, who reached Double-A in his second professional season and won the famed Arizona Fall League Most Valuable Player Award, and Graham Pauley will get an extended appearance.
Keep an eye on outfielder Calvin Mitchell as well. The Rancho Bernardo High School graduate was a top draft pick for the Pirates in 2017. He got a few at-bats in Pittsburgh before hitting free agency and signing a minor league contract with his hometown team.
The full list of non-roster invitees looks like this:
• Reproductive health (12): Lake Bashar, Ryan Bergert, Drew Carlton, Yovanny Cruz, Matt Festa, Nick Hernandez, Kevin Cobbs, Moises Lugo, Adam Mazur, Tommy Nance, Drew Thorpe, Nolan Watson
• LHP (5): Danielle Camarena, Ryan Carpenter, Austin Kropp, Javian Sandridge, Robbie Snelling
• C (3): Kevin Plawecki, Ethan Salas, Chandler Siegel
• Information (6): Marcos Castañon, Mason McCoy, Jackson Merrill, Nate Mundo, Graham Polley, Tyler Wade
• From (6): Bryce Johnson, Jacob Marcy, Oscar Mercado, Calvin Mitchell, Tirso Ornelas, Robert Perez Jr.
Padres pitchers and catchers report to the Peoria Sports Complex on Sunday, February 11.
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