Will the Padres Rush Their Top Prospects to the Majors After Jackson Merrill Success?

Maren Angus-Coombs | Oct 30, 2024

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

When the San Diego Padres asked a 20-year-old infielder to switch positions during spring training, they were hoping it would work out.

Jackson Merrill surpassed all expectations. Now, the Padres are looking ahead to two other young prospects.

San Diego has two electric young prospects at perhaps its two biggest positions of need for 2025: catcher Ethan Salas (the Padres’ No. 1 prospect, No. 19 overall) and shortstop Leodalis De Vries (Padres' No. 2, No. 28 overall) but will the organization push them through like Merill. The Padres are an organization known for pushing its young players quickly to the big leagues.

Both are playing in the Arizona Fall League and making a huge impression on their teammates.

“They're crazy. They're competitors,” left-handed pitching prospect Harry Gustin said, a teammate of both De Vries and Salas in 2024 during his stints with Single-A Lake Elsinore and High-A Fort Wayne. “Leo De Vries, that guy wants to win more than anybody. He's a great teammate to have. I would not like to face him.

"Same with Salas, he's a mastermind behind the plate. I love throwing to him, he makes me look great. His maturity, he's off the charts. He's a great kid. I love them both.”

During his end-of-season media session on Monday, general manager A.J. Preller downplayed that scenario, stating that Merrill’s smooth transition to the majors wouldn’t influence the Padres’ likelihood of promoting other top prospects swiftly.

Interestingly, Preller didn’t close the door on the idea altogether.

However, Merrill was a year older than Salas and De Vries, both of whom still need more time developing. Either one — or even both — could make their debut in 2025, but a spot on the Opening Day roster is highly unlikely.

In the meantime, the Padres will focus this offseason on finding solutions at catcher and shortstop. That said, they’re clearly eyeing short-term options, knowing they’ve got two top prospects on the way.

“I’ve seen that out there with … De Vries and Salas,” Preller said. “No, I mean, I think each guy’s an individual. That’s the way we treat it. We look at each situation. The players, they tell you when they’re ready. Jackson’s situation -- the talented guys with great makeup -- yeah, we’re not scared to challenge players like that. But it’s really an individual-type deal.

“Our staff felt pretty confident that [Merrill] had earned the right to come to Spring Training and compete, and then he won the job in Spring Training. There have been other times where prospects just haven’t been there, and we’re not going to put them in a spot where we’re going to rush them or their development.”