Padres Land 2 Future Stars in Top 10 MLB Prospects List

Ethan Salas and Jackson Merrill both made the list.

The future is bright for the Padres, as San Diego saw two of its prospects land on MLB Pipeline's top 10 prospects list.

Catcher Ethan Salas, a 17-year-old currently playing in for High-A Fort Wayne and shortstop Jackson Merrill, who was the Padres' first pick in 2021 and is playing for Double-A San Antonio, made the list.

In the newest MLB prospect rankings from @MLBPipeline, the Padres have a pair of top-10 prospects in the sport:

5. Ethan Salas
9. Jackson Merrill pic.twitter.com/UcU01JcWtR

— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) August 11, 2023

Salas, who ranked fifth, is batting .265 with 9 home runs in 50 games played in the minors. The young star was born in Florida but moved with his family to Venezuela. He signed with the Padres for $5.6 million and played some big-league spring training games when he was just 16 years old.

Scouts rave about Salas' skills on defense and his promise as a hitter on the left side. His brother, Jose, is a member of the Minnesota Twins organization.

Merrill, who was promoted from High-A after hitting .280/.318/.444 in 68 games this season, is continuing to play at a high level in Double-A. In fact, his numbers have improved with the increased competition, now hitting .303/.344/.482 across 21 games. He has a combined 12 homers between the two levels of play.

Merrill has shown improvement in his lateral quickness and arm strength, quelling conversations surrounding a potential move off of short.

While the Padres shipped off several of their top prospects, their future could be in good hands with Salas and Merrill.