Over the past few years, a plethora of top prospects have risen through the ranks for the San Diego Padres. Chief among those prospects is Fernando Tatis Jr., who, despite his 80-game suspension in 2022 due to PED suspension, remains the face of the franchise, the player who led the Padres' transformation into a winning team. Alongside Tatis, the Padres also boast the services of all-world talent Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and they bolstered their infield even further with the addition of Xander Bogaerts in free agency.

But the best appears to be yet to come for the Padres. One prospect, in particular, has caught the eyes of talent evaluators. That prospect is Ethan Salas, a 16-year old catcher the Padres signed for $5.6 million – the biggest ever deal in the international prospect market since the MLB capped spending in that department.

One scout even went as far as to proclaim that Salas, at the tender young age of 16, would make an All-Star team in the future… not just once, or twice, or even thrice… but 10 times.

“He’s going to star for the Padres as a teenager and he’ll be a 10-year All-Star,” an unnamed scout said, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Another scout doubled down on the aforementioned prediction, saying that Ethan Salas is the best young catching talent he's ever seen.

“The best amateur catcher I’ve ever seen, high school or college,” the scout proclaimed.

Given Ethan Salas' tools, it's no surprise that he stands out as one of the most exciting prospects in the game despite being just four years into his teenage life. Salas, a 6'2 backstop out of Venezuela, has incredible defensive fundamentals behind the dish, and his arm should make runners think twice about stealing or advancing aggressively.

However, what makes Salas a cut above the rest is his potential at the plate. According to Perfect Game, Salas makes “consistent square line drive contact” using simple yet effective swing mechanics. It might only be a matter of time before the ball pops off his bat repeatedly as he fills out his frame.

Ethan Salas has already impressed the likes of Yu Darvish in the Padres' camp; thus, it might not take long before Salas takes the reins for the Padres behind the plate.