Ethan Salas

Salas, a lefty-hitting bilingual catcher from Venezuela, was the top prospect in the 2023 international signing class ($5.8 million bonus) and became the first 16-year-old to play in a full-season league since Adrian Beltre in 1996. He slashed .248/.331/.421 with nine home runs, five steals, a 25.9 K% and a 10.3 BB% in 290 plate appearances across Single-A, High-A and Double-A, with 220 of those PAs coming at Single-A. Salas, who turns 18 in June, should spend the bulk of the year in the upper levels of the minors, which is exceedingly rare for a prospect his age, especially a plus defensive catcher. Given that he was four years younger than the average Single-A hitter last year, it's tough to look at his statistics and confidently project his output over the next couple seasons. What is clear, is that Salas is a special talent with elite makeup and a chance to be the best catching prospect since Adley Rutschman. Read Past Outlooks