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6-Time All-Star in Awe of Padres' 20-Year-Old Rookie Ethan Salas

The catcher recently became the youngest ever to catch a playoff game.
J.P. Hoornstra|
San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas (8) gestures after hitting an RBI single during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 24, 2026.
San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas (8) gestures after hitting an RBI single during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 24, 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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San Diego Padres

Joey Votto burnished a reputation as a cage rat, someone who spent hours analyzing and perfecting his swing en route to a 17-year MLB career.

A career .294 hitter, Votto made six All-Star teams and won an MVP award before retiring midway through the 2024 season. The longtime Cincinnati Reds first baseman served as an analyst on NBC's coverage of the wild-card round, and recently chimed in on his first impression of San Diego Padres rookie Ethan Salas.

If it takes one hitting savant to appreciate another, Salas could not have been paid a higher compliment by Votto on social media.

"Salas has a heck of a swing," Votto wrote on Twitter/X recently. "Wow."

At 20 years old, Salas recently became the youngest man ever to catch an MLB postseason game.

Salas earned his first major league promotion Sept. 1, making him the youngest catcher to appear in a regular-season game since Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez. He won over his teammates in a short period of time.

"He's got enormous amounts of confidence, which is what I love to see out of young kids," Padres center fielderJackson Merrill said. "He trusts himself, we trust him, and I think that bounces back on each other. We've shown we love him and trust him to do what he's capable of doing, and he's going to go out there and perform to the best of his abilities."

A left-handed hitter like Votto, Salas is also starting to win over outside observers, one swing at a time. Salas is 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, a run and an RBI to start his postseason career.

The Padres are carrying two catchers — Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin — in addition to Salas. Playing time for each will be less than one would expect in a traditional starter/backup tandem structure.

Salas nearly got the start at DH in Game 2, but manager Craig Stammen switched him out for Gavin Sheets at the last minute because of injury concerns about Campusano.

Salas understands the assignment — and appreciates it.

"It's something special for me and my family" to become the youngest catcher in the history of baseball's postseason, Salas said. "All the hard work we put in since a young age. It's definitely something cool.

"It's addicting out there," he added. "The adrenaline, everything."

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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