Whether you believe San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas waited a long time before his first MLB start is a matter of perspective. Sure, Salas took years in the minors before his call up, but — at 20 years old — he instantly became the youngest player in the majors once the move was official.
Because of that, Salas joined rarefied air, becoming the youngest catcher to make his MLB debut since Iván Rodríguez — better known as “Pudge” in baseball circles.
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Rodríguez, who developed into a Hall of Famer, debuted with the Texas Rangers back in 1991. At the time of his debut — June 6, 1991 — Rodríguez was 19.
Salas — who started behind the plate and hit sixth in his MLB debut Wednesday — was 20 years and 93 days old for his first start.
While age doesn’t necessarily equate to greatness, there is a connection. The most talented baseball players often appear in the majors earlier in their careers. Their talent is so undeniable that there’s no need for their team to keep them in the minors when they could contribute immediately. There are reasons players like Rodríguez, Juan Soto and Mike Trout — to name a few — made their MLB debuts at 19 … they were fantastic players.
Comparing Salas to any of those players is unfair. It would do a disservice to Salas to expect him to hit like a Hall of Fame caliber player from Day 1. And if he is eventually going to reach superstardom, it’s unlikely to happen immediately.
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Salas proved as much in Wednesday’s contest, when he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his MLB debut. With the Padres off Thursday, he’ll look to pick up his first MLB hit Friday against the New York Yankees.
Despite being a highly-touted prospect for years, Salas didn’t actually start producing as a hitter until 2026. But his breakout was so impressive that the Padres decided to call Salas despite his relatively short track record. In 405 plate appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A, Salas had a .296/.374/.448 slash line this season.
The Padres are hoping Salas’ presence can give the team a shot in the arm down the stretch. After a fantastic start to the season, the Padres swooned in May and June, falling behind in the playoff race. But after a moderate July, the team finally started firing on all cylinders during a 17-11 August.
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That performance has the Padres sitting just a half game out of a wild-card spot entering play Thursday. Given the talent elsewhere on the roster, the team doesn’t need Salas to be a star immediately. But if the catcher can provide average production, it would go a long way toward the Padres once again being a threat to make a dominant run in the postseason.
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