Padres have a natural opening for Ethan Salas to make MLB playoff history

Ethan Salas can become the youngest catcher in MLB postseason history during the Padres’ Wild Card Series against the Cubs. It’s a cool story. But it also has to be a baseball decision. The Padres have a real path to accomplish both.

Matthew Boyd is starting Game 1 for Chicago, and the left-hander makes Luis Campusano or Freddy Fermin the obvious choices behind the plate. There’s no reason to force Salas into that game simply because a record is sitting there.

Unless a specific matchup is offered up in the first game, Game 2 could be different. Nick Pivetta is the Padres’ likely starter, and the Cubs could answer with a right-hander. If they do, the door swings open for Salas to start. His left-handed bat would give San Diego another way to balance the lineup, while his previous work with Pivetta would keep the decision grounded in something more substantial than sentimentality.

Salas caught Pivetta during his final Triple-A rehab appearance. He was behind the plate again when Pivetta returned to the Padres’ rotation on Sept. 7 and delivered five scoreless innings. They also worked together on Sept. 24 against the Dodgers. This wouldn’t be a blind experiment tossed into the postseason. These two already have a foundation.

Ethan Salas can make history by earning a real postseason assignment

If Salas appears at catcher during the series, he will break Bob Didier’s record as the youngest catcher in postseason history. Didier was 20 years and 230 days old when he played for Atlanta in the 1969 NLCS. Salas will enter this series more than 100 days younger.

Maybe a token appearance in the eighth or ninth inning would cheapen the moment. But we really don’t see that being the case. They brought him up because they believe he can handle a major-league pitching staff and contribute against major-league pitching.

Starting him in Game 2 against a right-hander would prove it. The Cubs still control part of this conversation. A left-handed starter would change the equation and could push Campusano or Fermin back into the lineup. San Diego should react to the matchup rather than chase the record at all costs.

There’s also a broader organizational statement in the decision. San Diego has been aggressive with Salas at every stage of his development. Once the postseason arrives, that confidence has to mean something. Trust cannot exist only during comfortable regular-season games. If the matchup is right, the Padres should be willing to hand him the mask.

If the Cubs choose a right-hander for Game 2, San Diego should start Salas, give him real at-bats and ask him to help Pivetta deliver the game to the Padres’ bullpen.

The record can follow. That’s the cleanest version of history anyway: Salas wouldn’t just enter the game to become the youngest postseason catcher. He would become the youngest postseason catcher because the Padres believed he could help them win.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow