PEORIA, Ariz. -- Since A.J. Preller took over as GM in August 2014, the Padres have been as aggressive as any franchise in baseball. They aren't afraid to shuffle their big league roster, trade big-name prospects or challenge players in their farm system.
Catcher Ethan Salas (No. 2/MLB No. 33) and shortstop Leo De Vries (No. 1/MLB No. 18) were the top-rated talents in their international classes, and now they're two of the five youngest players on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list and well ahead of most of their peers. Salas had a nine-game cameo in Double-A at age 17 in 2023 and spent all of last season in High-A at age 18. De Vries made his pro debut last year at a 17-year-old in Single-A.
"We want to challenge our most gifted players," assistant farm director Mike Daly said. "That's been pretty consistent under A.J.'s leadership. We want to challenge players and see how they respond. If they meet the challenge, we put more on their plate. The very talented players tend to figure it out."
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Signed for $5.6 million out of Venezuela in '23, Salas was the youngest regular last season in the Midwest League, one of the toughest hitting environments in the Minors. He batted just .197 with little power before the All-Star break, when he traveled to San Diego to work with the team's big league hitting coaches.
Salas began standing taller in the batter's box and did a better job of squaring up the ball afterward, and the Padres believe his overall .206/.288/.311 line belies his upside as an above-average hitter who can control the strike zone and provide 20 homers per season.
"Ethan learned a lot going to the Midwest League," Daly said. "That's going to challenge any hitter. Sometimes when a player struggles, he can spiral, but his work ethic never changed. We made some adjustments that led to a better second half and a positive Arizona Fall League."
The next step in Salas' offensive development will be to curb his tendency to expand his zone when he gets to two strikes, and to learn to drive the ball in the air more regularly. Club officials and scouts outside the organization praise not only his defensive ability -- he's a quality receiver and athlete with a strong arm -- but also how he never lets any scuffles with the bat affect his work behind the plate.
"His maturity for 18 years old is incredible," Daly said. "It's a credit to his family. It's hard for a young player to focus sometimes, but when his bat wasn't always going well, he was still always helping his pitchers. To be able to separate his offense and defense, to be there for his pitchers, it's very special to see."
A $4.2 million bonus baby from the Dominican Republic, De Vries experienced more offensive success as the youngest batting qualifier in the California League last summer. He slashed .238/.361/.442 with 36 extra-base hits and 13 steals in 75 games, missing time because of injuries to both shoulders. He returned for the AFL -- where he and Salas were the two youngest prospects -- and became the youngest player to hit a homer in the developmental circuit since Bryce Harper in 2010.
De Vries has 30-30 upside and the potential for solid tools across the board. He batted .284/.407/.589 in July and August while doing a better job of recognizing pitches, and the Padres are excited to see what he might do if he's fully healthy throughout 2025.
"Leo needs to make sure he's really consistent with his routines so he can be on the field and make it through a full season," Daly said. "From an on-field standpoint, we clearly view him as a shortstop and want to see him build on his second half. He started controlling the strike zone and hitting for power, and he can take the next step toward becoming a two-way player."
Camp standout: Tirso Ornelas
After batting .297/.367/.497 with 23 homers in Triple-A and winning organization Minor League player of the year honors, Ornelas (No. 11) is making a push for an outfield job in San Diego. He got off to a hot start in the Cactus League and is hitting .289/.373/.444 in big league camp, far outperforming 35-year-old veteran Jason Heyward.
Purchased from the Mexico City Red Devils for $1.5 million in March 2017, Ornelas has improved steadily through his six seasons and 726 games in the Minors. He doubled his previous career high with 15 homers in '23 before setting a new standard last season.
"Tirso is a good hitter first and the power is typically the last thing to come," Daly said. "He's smart and understands what pitchers are trying to do to him."
Breakout potential: Cobb Hightower
The Padres liked Hightower (No. 6) more than most clubs and showed it by drafting the North Carolina high school shortstop in the third round last July rather than risk getting their pocket picked. His full name is Charles Cobb Hightower, as his parents named him after Pete Rose ("Charley Hustle") and Ty Cobb, who had more hits than any players in MLB history.
An offensive-minded prospect, Hightower has a quick right-handed stroke. San Diego sees him as an advanced hitter with 20-homer potential. He'll make his pro debut this year in Single-A.
"Cobb is a baseball rat who's very competitive," Daly said. "He has a compact right-handed swing and hits a lot of line drives. He's a hitter first and learning how to hit for power. He puts the barrel on the ball a lot. We'll send him out as a shortstop. He has a high baseball IQ."
Deep sleeper: Bryan Balzer
Balzer was more of a first baseman/outfielder growing up as a Japanese-American in Japan, and the Padres knew he needed Tommy John surgery. That didn't stop them from signing him for $10,000 as a right-handed pitcher in January '23.
Recovering from his elbow reconstruction, Balzer didn't make his pro debut until last July, when he pitched in six games in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Though he's relatively anonymous, the 20-year-old features one of the best arms in the system.
"Bryan has a really interesting arm," Daly said. "He's 6-foot-1 but he's athletic, throws in the upper 90s with life on his fastball. He has a mid-80s slider, too."