Padres prospect's on-base streak relieves fan tension after early-season struggles

The San Diego Padres parted with a number of prospects at this year's trade deadline. Adam Mazur, Robby Snelling, and Graham Pauley were all shipped to Miami on July 30 in order to bolster the Friars' relief corps with the addition of Marlins closer Tanner Scott.

But the Padres were able to hang on to their top two prospects — Leodalis De Vries and Ethan Salas. While De Vries has enjoyed a fine first season in the pros, Salas has struggled mightily. Though both are top-50 prospects (according to MLB Pipeline), Salas (who was ranked in the top 10 earlier this spring) was passed over by a number of talented young players and now comes in at No. 20 overall.

Ethan Salas' on-base streak relieves Padres fans' tensions after early-season struggles

Salas was off to a horrid start in 2024. After sailing up through the minor leagues (all the way to Double-A) in 2023, he came back to earth a bit at the outset of this season. Through August 4, Salas was hitting just .190/.283/.277 with two home runs, 31 RBI, and 77 strikeouts. While still just 18 years old, those are not the numbers you want to see from your top prospect.

But Salas has righted the ship in recent weeks and, heading into action this week, he was riding a 17-game on-base streak. Since August 6, Salas is hitting .292/.361/.523 with two round-trippers, 12 RBI, and 11 strikeouts to seven free passes. That should give the Pads' fanbase a little more confidence about their top prospect's development heading into the offseason.

Not all prospects are built the same, and while Jackson Merrill is certainly having success during his first season in San Diego, developing catchers is a bit more tedious exercise. There's a lot of nuance that goes along with the position, and while the Friar faithful would love to have Salas in the big leagues immediately, seeing him to mature in the minors should be enough for the time being.

The early-season struggles seem to be behind Salas, and that's a good thing. If he can continue this hot streak through the end of 2024, the Padres' backstop of the future will set him self up well for next season.

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