Padres Prospect Update: Leodalis De Vries’ July surge, Ethan Salas, Omar Cruz

The San Diego Padres farm system was plucked clean this past week. In an effort to upgrade the team's bullpen, Padres President of Baseball Operations AJ Preller did what he always does this time of year and traded minor league assets.

The Friar faithful are used to this by now, but the fanbase is hoping that this year's trade deadline additions help the Padres go on a memorable postseason run.

And while the Padres' farm system endured a shakeup prior to the July 30 deadline, the Friars still have some talented young players down in the minor leagues. True to his word, Preller kept two of San Diego's top prospects off limits during trade talks, and one of those two players had a terrific week down on the farm.

Padres top prospect Leodalis De Vries put up big numbers in July

Leodalis De Vries is arguably the Padres' best prospect. While still years away from making it to the major leagues, the Padres' front office is hopeful that De Vries factors in to San Diego's long term success. But if De Vries' red-hot July is any indication of what lies ahead, the 17-year-old may make it to the major leagues sooner than expected.

Last month, De Vries hit .318/.442/.694 with a wRC+ of 190 (according to FanGraphs). De Vries also owned a 17.3% walk rate and had the same number of free passes as strikeouts. De Vries is currently at Low-A Lake Elsinore, but knowing how the Padres like to push their young prospects, a jump to High-A later this season isn't off the table.

Padres top prospect Ethan Salas continues to struggle

Though he was picked to participate in the All-Star Futures Game, Ethan Salas has been the other side of the equation. The up-and-coming 18-year-old backstop was sitting where De Vries was last season. After handling the competition at Low-A, the Padres bumped Salas to High-A in 2024. The results haven't been the same.

It may be unfair to call Salas' season a down year, but the teenage catcher has definitely endured some struggles. On the season, Salas is hitting just .190/.283/.272. And while the power numbers can be somewhat concerning for a player who draws comparisons to Juan Soto, Salas' 11.1% walk rate is definitely a positive. During the month of July, Salas hit just .200/.226/.317 with only five hits going for extra bases.

Padres prospect Omar Cruz contines to rack up Ks

With Robby Snelling and Dylan Lesko no longer in the Padres farm system, one of the Friars' most intriguing young pitchers is Omar Cruz. Since June, the left-hander is 6-0 with a 3.89 ERA and 58 punchouts in 37 innings of work.

Cruz is striking out opposing batters at nearly a 40% clip, and still maintains good control with a 7.3% walk rate. Even more impressive is Cruz's 2.49 FIP during that same span. Recently bumped up to Triple-A El Paso, if Cruz keeps logging Ks, don't be shocked if the southpaw receives a late-season call up.

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