'The future's bright': De Vries, Salas made quick impact with Padres' brass

PEORIA, Ariz. -- It was only a matter of time before Padres top prospects Leo De Vries and Ethan Salas were cut from big league camp, which officially came to be on Thursday morning. The 18-year-olds both still have plenty of work to do before they are ready to make an impact in San Diego.

Still, it¡¯s hard not to acknowledge how impressive De Vries and Salas were through the first several weeks of spring camp. The duo didn¡¯t merely blend in, they stood out and proved they belong.

¡°The future¡¯s bright,¡± Padres manager Mike Shildt said with a smile. ¡°I talked to [president of baseball operations] A.J. [Preller], when we got through at the end of the conversation -- we did Salas and we did Leo after the game -- me and A.J. were talking about both of them. I said, ¡®Both those guys are going to make us look a lot smarter.¡¯

¡°Good, long-standing big league players start their careers pretty early, and these guys are on a good trajectory for that.¡±

• Here are the Padres' 2025 Top 30 prospects

This certainly isn't the last Padres fans will see of De Vries and Salas this spring, as both are expected to participate in San Diego¡¯s Spring Breakout matchup with the A¡¯s on March 14 at Peoria Sports Complex. It will provide important opportunities for the youngsters to continue to refine their respective crafts.

While they were in camp, De Vries and Salas soaked in what they could from the abundance of advice and experience that came from core members of the Padres, which was praised by Shildt and others within the clubhouse.

¡°They both handled themselves extremely well,¡± Shildt said. ¡°The physical tools are clearly there, now it¡¯s about consistency and using them. It¡¯s getting to be about the mental and emotional aspect of what it takes to be a consistent big leaguer. They took real advantage of the leadership and experience in our clubhouse.¡±

De Vries, the No. 18-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, put together a solid performance in his first season of pro ball last year with Single-A Lake Elsinore, where he hit .237 with an .802 OPS in 75 games. He garnered high praise from fellow shortstop Xander Bogaerts and drew rave reviews for his discipline at the plate at times.

¡°It¡¯s been a blast,¡± De Vries told MLB.com¡¯s AJ Cassavell earlier this spring. ¡°I¡¯m really grateful for the opportunity and the ability the club is giving me to learn and grow.¡±

Salas, ranked as the No. 33 prospect on Pipeline¡¯s Top 100 list, is believed to be the catcher of the future in San Diego despite his struggles at the plate over the past two seasons. In 759 career plate appearances, Salas is slashing .222/.304/.353. But the young backstop has showcased a good eye at the plate this spring, drawing five walks in 13 plate appearances.

¡°I¡¯m happy we¡¯re both out there,¡± Salas said. ¡°We¡¯re both out there showing what we can do.¡±

Iglesias arrives feeling ¡®the energy¡¯

After agreeing to terms on a Minor League deal with the Padres on Wednesday, veteran infielder Jose Iglesias promptly arrived at the team¡¯s complex in Peoria on Thursday morning ready to get work with his new club.

It¡¯s far from a foreign setting for Iglesias, who spent part of the 2023 season in the Padres organization with Triple-A El Paso.

¡°We have so many familiar faces in the clubhouse for me,¡± Iglesias said. ¡°Manny [Machado], we played all sorts together. [Xander Bogaerts], when he came up with the Red Sox, I was there. [Luis] Arraez -- I can go on and on. It definitely helps. I¡¯m already feeling the welcoming, the energy that they provide for me. It¡¯s very special. I¡¯m just glad to be a part of it.¡±

Iglesias said 2023 was a ¡°tough¡± year for him personally. He inked a Minors deal with the Padres in April but was ultimately released in June. He performed well, though, batting .317 with an .893 OPS over just 28 games with El Paso.

By bringing Iglesias in, the Padres seem to be trying to replicate the spark that he brought to the Mets last season. He figures to add additional depth to San Diego's bench and potentially compete for some at-bats at DH as well.

¡°For me, it¡¯s about the game,¡± Iglesias said. ¡°It¡¯s about helping my teammates, continuing to push Bogey, continuing to push Manny, just play the game the right way and try to win as many games as we can this year. That¡¯s in my hands, that¡¯s my goal. Whatever happens after that is completely up to the team.¡±