SAN DIEGO -- The Padres added three Minor League pitchers to their 40-man roster on Tuesday, ahead of the deadline to protect prospects from next month's Rule 5 Draft. Right-handers Henry Baez and Ryan Bergert and lefty Omar Cruz had their contracts selected, bringing the San Diego 40-man roster to

With the World Series over and the Arizona Fall League wrapping up, now is a good time to take stock of an exciting year in prospectdom. In October, MLB Pipeline released its updated Top 100 Prospects list, which featured several big changes at the top, but we're going to take

Leodalis De Vries hasn't completed a full year as a professional yet, but he has already amassed an astounding list of firsts and the “youngest-to” designations in 2024. During Peoria’s 12-5 loss to Surprise on Thursday afternoon at the Peoria Sports Complex, he added another: Youngest player to homer in

PEORIA, Ariz. -- When the Padres break spring camp at the Peoria Sports Complex in February, Ethan Salas will be among the Major League group for the second time, an astounding feat considering he’ll be just 18 years old. While it would be a significant development if Salas were to

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell's Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The first thing you hear about Ethan Salas the ballplayer is how incredibly advanced he is for his age. There seldom are 18-year-olds in big league Spring Training camp or at the Arizona Fall League, but San Diego has handled Salas’ development with one ethos in mind: Push the gifted.

MESA, Ariz. – Ethan Salas and Leodalis De Vries have been inextricably linked to begin their pro careers, having been the respective No. 1 overall international prospects in 2023 and ‘24, both choosing to sign with the Padres. Top prospects of rebuilding clubs who come with extreme promise and impact

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The season is meant to be measured in growth. In many ways, Ethan Salas has been just trying to get back to equilibrium. He appears to be getting there. Need proof? Look at one statistic in particular. “I’ve been like that my whole life ever since I

MESA, Ariz. -- The Padres aren't afraid to challenge elite young prospects. They sent Ethan Salas, the top player in the 2023 international class, to Double-A at age 17 last summer. They had Leo De Vries, the best player in this year's international crop, spend all of this season as

It felt like everywhere you looked in 2023, rookies were making key contributions. Johan Rojas was covering acres of ground for the Phillies. Corbin Carroll and Brandon Pfaadt were speeding around the bases and making clutch starts respectively for the D-backs. And perhaps most famously, Evan Carter was on the

There is definitely more than one way to build a winning Major League team, and the 12 clubs headed to the postseason in 2024 prove that. On one hand, there are the Tigers and Guardians, the AL Central teams leading the way with 16 and 15 homegrown players on their

ST. PETERSBURG -- Junior Caminero could hardly keep the smile off his face or the emotion out of his words. About a decade after meeting one of his baseball idols, one of the reasons he now wears a No. 13 jersey for the Rays, baseball’s top prospect got to share

SAN DIEGO -- Leodalis De Vries' breakout first professional season may be coming to an early end. The Padres' 17-year-old shortstop prospect -- MLB Pipeline's top-ranked international signing in the current class -- suffered a strained right shoulder while diving for a ball on Sunday. Per team sources, De Vries'

SAN DIEGO -- Here we go again. The Padres traded away a treasure trove of prospects, and the baseball world is wondering how quickly they can revamp a depleted farm system. Sound familiar? Judging by recent evidence, we should know the answer. Under general manager A.J. Preller, the Padres are

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. Sam Dykstra filled in for this edition. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Welcome to Crooked Numbers, a monthly column dedicated to Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. The edition, rounding up the month of July, features intra-organizational no-nos, wild romps, unexpected mound dominance and, of course, much more. Keeping track of this type of thing is a team effort, so get