Venezuelan Ethan Salas Makes History in Double-A Debut with Game-Winning Hit
SAN ANTONIO – Seventeen-year-old Venezuelan Ethan Salas created history on Tuesday night as he became the first player since 2014 to debut at the Double-A level. Wearing the jersey of the Double-A San Antonio team, Salas not only made history but also secured the game-winning hit in the tenth inning, leading his team to victory.
Salas, who is considered to be the fifth best prospect in the majors, has been having a remarkable summer. He impressed scouts during his time at the Rookie Level and later made his professional debut at Class-A Lake Elsinore. In just 48 games, he showcased his talent and quickly moved up to Class-A Fort Wayne. Although his stint at Fort Wayne was brief, Salas’ exceptional performance earned him a promotion to the Double-A Texas League.
In his Double-A debut, Salas faced 27-year-old pitcher Mitchell Stumpo from the Diamondbacks. After a thrilling seven-pitch at-bat, Salas delivered a clutch double, putting his team in the lead and eventually securing the win.
Being significantly younger than his competitors is not new to Salas. During the winter, he played for the Águilas del Zulia in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, where he was, on average, 12 years younger than other players in the league.
Salas made his California League debut at the age of just 16, making an immediate impact with multiple two-hit games. Throughout the summer, his performance continued to impress, maintaining a batting average of .267, with a slugging percentage of .487 and a remarkable 43.1% extra-base hit rate. His weighted runs created plus (wRC+), a measure of offensive production, stood at 121, and his weighted on-base average (wOBA) was .379, which would have placed him in the top 15 in the league if he had enough at-bats.
“He’s someone our group feels can be challenged,” said Padres general manager AJ Preller about Salas. “It’s also about him playing with — we have a group of guys who were in Fort Wayne, and they’re going to have a shot at Double-A to play in the playoffs down the stretch.”
With his exceptional talent and incredible performance, Ethan Salas is undoubtedly a player to watch as he continues to make waves in the baseball world.