Leo De Vries, Ethan Salas highlight MLB.com's list of Padres top prospects for 2025

The San Diego Padres are hopeful of putting together another winning season in the big leagues. While the obvious focus will be on the club's success in 2025, Padres fans and personnel can also get excited about what the team's future will look like.

MLB.com released their latest set of top prospects across the sport, breaking it down team-by-team. Unsurprisingly, two Friars prospects cracked the Top 100, and although there is plenty of stock in Leo De Vries (MLB No. 18) and Ethan Salas (No. 33), San Diego's best prospects are all very young. Six of the Padres' eight best prospects are under 20 years old, including four of their top five. Long term, things are looking bright if these players' projections are already sky-high.

Leo De Vries, Ethan Salas highlight MLB.com's list of Padres top prospects for 2025

Leo De Vries, just 18 years old, is the organization's best prospect. He has a 60-grade hitting tool, and although he is batting 2-for-16 this spring, time is still well on his side. De Vries was the youngest player to compete in the Arizona Fall League following a shoulder strain that ended his regular season. Any struggles that he currently has shouldn't sound the alarm. He has plenty of time to continue developing, and he will ideally make a big jump in production in the minor leagues this year.

Salas, also 18 years old, is shockingly in his third spring training with the Friars. He hasn't been hitting the ball necessarily well, batting 1-for-8 entering Wednesday, but he has drawn five walks to register a .462 on-base percentage.

While Salas still gets fully comfortable at the plate, he can fall back on his other strengths. His 70-grade defensive tool is among the best in the organization. Despite his age, Salas has a maturity behind the plate, whether it's his framing skills or ability to throw out runners. This has made him the fourth-best catching prospect in baseball, falling behind players all 20-24 years old.

Other prospects in the San Diego system to keep an eye out for are Henry Baez, Tirso Ornelas, and Ryan Bergert. All three players are on the cusp of being ready for the big leagues, and they are showing off their talent this spring. Baez was San Diego's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2024, while Bergert is making a case for himself to be on the MLB roster behind three impressive outings this spring (five innings, one run, five strikeouts, zero walks). Ornelas, an outfielder, has five extra-base hits in his first 17 at-bats of spring training.

There is a ton of talent in San Diego's farm. Some are on the brink of making the 25-man roster and some are still a few years away from that. Although they are young, guys like De Vries and Salas already making noise as the game's best prospects proves that the Padres are settling into a good spot for their future. It will be fun tracking their production and rise to the top in 2025.