Padres Former No. 1 Prospect Falls Out of Top 100

Former top prospect Ethan Salas has fallen off MLB’s Top 100 prospect list for the first time since signing with the Padres as an international free agent in 2023.

Salas was also left off the league’s top 10 catcher prospect rankings, signaling a steep drop in overall standing. As recently as 2025, he ranked No. 77 overall and No. 10 among catching prospects.

The decline stems largely from a disappointing 2024 season with High-A Fort Wayne. Across 469 plate appearances, Salas produced four home runs and 53 RBIs while posting a .599 OPS. He followed that performance with an injury-plagued 2025 campaign, appearing in just 10 games and finishing with a .544 OPS.

Now multiple seasons removed from meaningful production and yet to advance beyond Double-A, there was little justification for Salas to retain Top 100 status. Once ranked as high as No. 8 overall in 2024, his prospect grades have steadily declined in each subsequent re-ranking.

The good news is that Salas remains just 19 years old and will not turn 20 until June 1. The former No. 1 international prospect has been playing professionally since age 16 and still has ample time to reestablish his trajectory before becoming MLB-ready.

He’s also maintained his scouting grades, showing that his abilities haven’t regressed. The fall off is only a result of injuries and streaky production.

His 60-grade arm and 70-grade field indicate that he remains a major league-caliber defender behind the plate. The emphasis moving forward will be on maintaining that defensive prowess while improving his 45-grade hit tool and 50-grade power, which have lagged behind expectations.

A rebound is critical for both Salas and general manager A.J. Preller. Since the first postseason appearance of the Manny Machado–Fernando Tatis Jr. era in 2020, San Diego has struggled to find stability at catcher.

The Padres have cycled through Luis Campusano, Austin Nola, Gary Sánchez, Elías Díaz, and Freddy Fermin, none of whom provided above-average offensive production. The expectation was that Preller could avoid allocating significant resources to the position while awaiting the development of Salas and Campusano, who once ranked as high as No. 51 overall.

Campusano debuted in 2020 but has never secured a full-time role. His lone stretch of significant production came in 2023, when he posted an .847 OPS across 174 plate appearances. Outside of that season, he has struggled to capitalize on limited opportunities despite weak competition at the position.

With Campusano nearing age 27 and his developmental window closing, Salas represents Preller’s final opportunity to solve the catching position internally.

It is not a make-or-break season for Salas, but a healthy and productive 2026 is essential if he hopes to reemerge as a cornerstone piece of the Padres’ future.