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Part – Newstatenabenn

Will the Padres rush their top prospects to the majors after Jackson Merrill’s success?
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Will the Padres rush their top prospects to the majors after Jackson Merrill’s success?

When the San Diego Padres asked a 20-year-old infielder to change position During spring training, they hoped it would work.

Jackson Merrill exceeded all expectations. Now, the Padres look toward two more young prospects.

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

They both play in the Arizona Fall League and make a big impression on their teammates.

“They are crazy. “They are competitors.” Left-handed pitching prospect Harry Gustin said, a teammate of De Vries and Salas in 2024 during their stints with Single-A Lake Elsinore and High-A Fort Wayne. “Leo De Vries, that guy wants to win more than anyone. He is a great teammate. I wouldn’t like to face it.

“Same goes for Salas, he’s a mastermind behind the plate. I love pitching to him, he makes me look great. His maturity is off the charts. He’s a great kid. I love them both.”

During his end-of-season media session on Monday, general manager AJ Preller downplayed that scenario, stating that Merrill’s smooth transition to the majors would not impact the likelihood of the Padres quickly promoting other top prospects.

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

However, Merrill was a year older than Salas and De Vries, who still need more time to develop. Either, or even both, could debut in 2025, but it’s highly unlikely they’ll earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Meanwhile, the Padres will focus this offseason on finding solutions at catcher and shortstop. That said, they are clearly considering short-term options, knowing they have two big prospects coming up.

“I’ve seen it with… De Vries and Salas.” Preller said. “No, I mean, I think every guy is an individual. That’s how we treat it. We observe each situation. Players let you know when they are ready. The Jackson situation (talented guys with great makeup) yeah, we’re not afraid to challenge players like that. But in reality it is an individual type of treatment.

“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 the prospects just weren’t there, and we’re not going to put them in a situation where we rush them or their development.”