"Dawg" - Jackson Merrill and Jeremiah Estrada highlight Padres No.1 prospect Ethan Salas' stellar 2024 Fall Stars Game showing
San Diego Padres star Jackson Merrill and relief pitcher Jeremiah Estrada took note of the stellar performance from Ethan Salas, the top prospect of the franchise, in the Arizona League Fall Stars Game on Saturday night. The 18-year-old catcher gave a superb display for the National League even though they lost the game 6-5 to the American League at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona.
Ethan Salas is the top-rated prospect of the San Diego Padres and the 19th overall, according to MLB Pipeline. Salas takes the position from Merrill, who was ranked 12th overall before he made his major league debut earlier this year.
Salas went 1-1 in the Fall Stars Game, besides creating an entire run all by himself within a span of just five pitches. He started off the bottom of the third inning by drawing a walk and earning the free pass to first base. He then proceeded to steal second base unchallenged on the first pitch of the next at-bat, although the pitcher ended up walking the batter anyway.
On the opening pitch of the third at-bat, Ethan Salas made a run for third base for another successful steal. This time the cather made a throw, but it sailed way over the infield, which allowed Salas to easily score a run for his team.
Outfielder Jackson Merrill and Jeremiah Estrada, the right-handed relief pitcher, highlighted the performance of the Padres prospect on his Instagram account, sharing a post by MLB Pipeline.
"Dawg," Jeremiah Estrada wrote on the Instagram story.
Salas played for the Fort Wayne TinCaps in A+ earlier this year, just like Merrill did prior to his meteoric rise in The Show.
Jackson Merrill top contender for NL Rookie of the Year
Jackson Merrill is one of the top contenders for the MLB National League Rookie of the Year after a superb debut campaign with the San Diego Padres. The 21-year-old had a .292/.326/.500 slash line in the regular season with 24 home runs, 90 RBIs, and 127 OPS+. He was influential for the Padres in the postseason as well, batting 6-24 with three extra base hits, including a home run and five RBIs.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes is the leading challenger to Jackson Merrill for the award that will be announced later this week. Merrill finished behind Skenes in the Baseball Digest NL Rookie of the Year voting last week.