Salas Named Padres' 2027 Rookie Of The Year Favorite

The San Diego Padres' signing of international free agent Ethan Salas came with such fanfare - a $5.6-million bonus for a 16-year-old catcher! - and placed such a bright spotlight on him that it's easy to forget that it was less than four years ago that the signing occurred (January 2023) and that Salas still won't turn 21 until June 1 next year.

Salas also didn't arrive in San Diego this year until early September, though by the time the Padres' season ended in the NL Divisional Series via a four-game defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers, Salas had already earned a place in the record books by becoming the youngest catcher to ever play in a postseason game.

So, with all of that attention and all that he's accomplished so far in his nascent MLB career, it's easy to forget that he will only lose his rookie status for 2028 if he spends less than 23 days in the majors or has fewer than 142 at-bats with the Padres in 2027.

It also makes him the Padre most likely to emerge with the 2027 NL Rookie of the Year Award, at least according to Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.

Writing on Tuesday, the duo said that after Salas struggled through injury-plagued 2023-25 seasons at Single-A and Double-A in which he was competing against players who were oftentimes four to seven years older than him, he put it all together at Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso in 2026, which earned him the September callup and steady playing time down the stretch and into the Padres' six-game playoff run.

"[Salas] reached Double-A as a 17-year-old in his pro debut, then struggled with injuries and getting rushed the next two seasons," they wrote. "The athletic backstop rebounded in 2026, displaying offensive upside by slashing .296/.374/.448 (.822 OPS) with 10 homers and 17 steals in 96 games between Double-A and Triple-A, then going 10-for-39 (.256) with two homers as the youngest player (age 20) in the Majors this season."

Salas also proved that he is more than just an offensive threat as on Sept. 28 he was named the Minor League Defensive Player of the Year for his work behind the plate, where he showcases plus arm strength and a plus-plus glove.

While Salas is undoubtedly a star in the making, if he was in any other organization, Callis and Mayo might have had a hard time identifying any other San Diego minor-leaguer as a 2027 ROY candidate.

After Salas, who was named San Diego's 2026 Prospect of the Year and obviously enters 2027 as the system's No. 1 prospect, while being MLB's No. 21 overall, according to MLB Pipeline, the Padres' prospect cupboard - at least from an immediate-contribution standout - looks pretty bare.

After Salas, only four of the system's remaining top 20 prospects are predicted to at least have a chance to debut in 2027: No. 7 pitcher Tucker Musgrove, No. 12 pitcher Luis Gutierrez, No. 14 pitcher Jagger Haynes and No. 19 outfielder Braedon Karpathios.

Of that group, Gutierrez, a 23-year-old left-handed starter, may be the most likely to contribute next season - especially with the Padres' holes in the rotation - after he was added to the team's 40-man roster on Nov. 2 following a relatively successful showing (4.25 ERA, 44 strikeouts in 36 innings) across four injury-plagued 2026 stops that saw him start only 13 games.