Storm rookie Ethan Salas making waves at just 17 years old Padres phenom makes pro debut with Lake Elsinore

JP Raineri Sports Editor

LAKE ELSINORE – Last week was an exciting one at The Diamond in Lake Elsinore. Not just because the Storm had a winning week, or picked up their 25th win of the season, placing them second in the California League’s South Division, but also because of who showed up to play. Namely, one Ethan Salas, a 16-year-old that proved he can hang with the big boys.

While Salas, who doesn’t even have a learner’s permit yet, may not be able to drive to the ballpark, he sure can drive the ball, which is why the Padres gave him over $5 million to do so. Touted as San Diego’s No. 3 prospect, Salas signed with the team, out of Venezuela, as an international free agent on Jan. 15. While the youngest member in the

Padres organization was born in Florida, he moved with his family to Venezuela at a young age.

When Salas signed with the Padres, it was for $5.6 million, taking nearly all of the organization’s $5,825,500 base signing pool. Not too shabby for the young phenom who turned 17 on June 1 and was ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 international prospect for 2023. He began the 2023 season ranked as San Diego’s No. 3 prospect, and the genes run in the family as his brother, Jose Salas, who signed with the Marlins for $2.8 million in July 2019. He was later traded to the Twins in January of this year.

Ethan’s journey to the big leagues officially started last week on Tuesday, May 29, when he batted second as the designated hitter. After the eighth pitch of his first at bat, Salas went the other way for an opposite-field double off Visalia righty Jacob Steinmetz, the D-backs’ third-round pick in last year’s Draft. The start makes him just the third player since 2018 to play in Single-A in their age-17 seasons, joining fellow San Diego prospect Samuel Zavala and Angels outfielder Nelson Rada...ranked as the No. 86 overall prospect in baseball and the No. 9 catcher according to MLB.com as of his debut in May 2023.

“I was just really happy,” Salas told the media of finally making his pro debut. “I wasn’t nervous. I’ve been on bigger stages -- Spring Training, my winter ball debut, so I went into tonight pretty relaxed. Just went about it like it was any other game.” Ethan skipped over the Rookielevel Complex League entirely and was assigned to Single-A to begin his professional career. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Salas scored the go-ahead run and went 2-for-3 with a double, a single and a walk in Lake Elsinore’s 3-1 win.

“I’m really happy about the win,” Salas said after his first game. “The way I see baseball and the way I see any competition is that I have to do whatever it takes to win. I didn’t want this to be all about me and my debut, I just wanted to go out there and win a game.”

The phenom already displays a lot of confidence in himself and says fans should know he is a fun, humble, just exciting guy to be around. “I just go out there and play my game as hard as I can and don’t really pay attention to anything else,” he says. “This is my life. This is what I do 24/7, and every time I’m out there I just play like it’s my last. I’m just here to play, have fun and win a ballgame.”

So, how does all this work, being under 18 years of age and playing professional baseball? A player whose residence is in the United States, Canada, or U.S. territories (e.g., Puerto Rico) can be drafted through the MLB’s First-Year Player amateur draft, referred to as the Rule 4 Draft. Only a player who has completed high school or one year at junior college but did the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Buccaneers scored four times in the bottom of the inning and the 5-4 final score gave Mission Bay the championship.

“We were just a little younger last year,” Walker said. Fallbrook had four all-league players in 2022 including two seniors. This year 16 players from last year’s CIF playoff team returned. Evan Thomas was the only starting freshman on the 2022 team.

A major difference between the 2022 and 2023 Warriors was additional pitching experience.

Since 1990, pitchers have been limited to 10 innings, defined as 30 outs, in a week. Since 2017, a pitcher who throws 76 or more pitches in a game may not pitch during the ensuing three days; a hurler whose outing involved between 51 and 75 pitches must not take the mound for the next two days, and a pitcher cannot return as a hurler the following day if he threw between 31 and 50 pitches.

Injuries late in the regular season and in the playoffs deprived the 2022 Warriors of two pitchers by the championship game and, with the Warriors needing two wins earlier in the week, three other pitchers were ineligible to pitch in the final. The two Fallbrook pitchers who were on the mound for the 2022 championship game not attend a four-year university is eligible for the amateur draft. Players who have completed their junior year at a four-year university or who are twenty-one years of age (whichever comes first) may also be eligible. had thrown a combined 10 previous innings that season.

However, for an international player, there is no draft, and to play for an MLB team, international players must be signed during the international signing period, which started Jan. 15, and lasts through Dec. 15, 2023. To be eligible for the international signing period, a player only needs to be 16 years old. Each team has a cap placed on the pool of money that can be used to sign international players, which is usually disbursed to players as a signing bonus. Perhaps a minor loophole for players not needing a high school diploma or GED, but talent is absolutely required at the other end of the spectrum.

For schedules, or to follow games online, visit www.stormbaseball.

Fallbrook’s 2022 championship game was played on a Friday. This year’s Division III final was on a Saturday. “It gave us an extra day, which is big for pitching,” Walker said.

The three days between the May 23 game and the May 27 final made Smith, who threw 101 pitches May 23, eligible for the championship game. Van Eik threw 83 pitches May 25 while senior Ethan Rink was on the mound for 36 pitches.

Prior to the CIF final, junior Tyler Allegro had thrown 20 2/3 innings. Allegro was primarily a middle relief pitcher, but Walker noted that Allegro had talent. “Boy, did he show that,” Walker said.

Allegro started the championship game against Maranatha Christian, who entered the contest with a 24-7 record including a 9-6 figure in Coastal League play to place the Eagles second behind La Jolla Country Day. Allegro threw the first five innings, allowed four hits and a walk, and struck out eight.

“He gave us five strong innings, allowed one run,” Walker said.

“It was amazing,” Allegro said. “It was just unbelievable, honestly.

I felt really good out there.”

Allegro threw 81 pitches. Smith hurled the final two innings, retired all six batters he faced, and struck out four.

“It was pretty exciting for me. My starting pitcher just pounded com. Salas and the Storm get back to action, on the road, this week against Fresno, and then local fans can head out to the park when the team gets back for a home series the zone,” Smith said. “I could just come in with fastballs. That’s really all I threw, and it worked.”

Smith also played the field May 27 and, in the bottom of the third inning, he singled to right field to drive in Sherman, who had singled to lead off the inning, for the game’s first run. Maranatha Christian tied the game in the top of the fourth when junior Zeke Smith grounded out but scored junior Levi Ham.

The score was still 1-1 entering the bottom of the sixth. “The big play was the squeeze,” Walker said.

Maranatha Christian senior Joey Wittig would strike out 12 Warriors in a complete game on the mound. He allowed seven hits including a double to Anthony Thomas in the sixth.

“The Maranatha pitcher was having a great game,” Thomas said.

“I was just looking for a fastball to hit, and he gave me one.” next week versus Stockton. JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com

A passed ball allowed Thomas to advance to third base. “Cervantes squeezed on a 0-0 pitch and that shocked them. They were surprised,” Walker said.

The bunt went between the pitcher and the third baseman. “It was a really good bunt at the line,” Walker said.

“Perfectly placed bunt,” Cervantes said.

“I knew Cervantes was going to get the bunt down,” Thomas said.

Thomas beat the throw to the plate for the run and a 2-1 lead. “It was just a great play,” Walker said.

Fallbrook still had to retire the Eagles in the top of the seventh. The Warriors couldn’t think about having a three-run lead in last year’s championship game and allowing four runs to lose. “Baseball’s a mental game,” Walker said.

The Warriors were mentally tough enough to get past what happened last year.

“We couldn’t have won a CIF championship with a better group of kids,” Walker said. “They just do everything better, and they’re part of just a really good culture.”

Another loss in 2022 was on the Warriors’ mind. Mark DiBenedetti was Fallbrook’s head coach from 2011 to 2013 and also had two stints as the Warriors’ pitching coach. DiBenedetti began the 2022 season as Fallbrook’s pitching coach but passed away during the season. The inspiration DiBenedetti brought to the 2022 Warriors was remembered by the 2023 players, and every time they took the field they said, “For D”.

Pat Lucy is the new pitching coach. Paul Martinez, who is also new, is an assistant coach. Walker noted that the coaches have little impact once the game is being played. “The kids are on the field. They’re the ones making the plays. They’re the ones in the clutch,” Walker said.

In addition to the CIF championship, the May 27 win gave Fallbrook an overall record of 22-9-1.