The Padres’ farm system was depleted over the last 12 months. San Diego made moves to get Luis Arraez and Dylan Cease, among others. Still, the Padres organization has a fair amount of young talent — and San Diego fans will get a good look at two of those names in 2025 Spring Training. Their non-roster invite list includes several former Major Leaguers, as well as arguably the two best prospects in the Padres’ farm system.
San Diego will bring catcher Ethan Salas and infielder Leodalis De Vries to Arizona, the Padres’ prized international signings from 2023 & 2024, respectively.
Salas posted a fantastic 2023, hitting .248/.331/.421 (.725 OPS) across three levels in a season in which he started as a 16-year-old. However, 2024 was much quieter for Salas, as he only hit .206/.288/.311 (.599 OPS) with four home runs and 33 extra-base hits with Fort Wayne (A+).
The OPS figure was not great from Salas in 2024. However, the low strikeout numbers (98 over 111 games) and the amount of extra-base hits were still impressive for someone who spent a healthy chunk of the year as a 17-year-old. It also helps that Salas received rave reviews for his defensive ability.
Much like with Salas, the Padres pushed Leodalis De Vries to full-season ball, months after he signed as an international talent. As a 17-year-old, De Vries hit .237/.361/.444 (.802 OPS) with 11 home runs, 13 stolen bases, and 36 extra-base hits with Lake Elsinore (A). De Vries walked 50 times over 75 contests.
Aside from those two, the Padres invited prospects Bradgley Rodriguez, Austin Krob, Harold Chirino, Francis Pena, Anthony Vilar, Romeo Sanabria, Brandon Valenzuela, Braden Nett, Jose Espada, Eduarniel Nunez, Jake Higginbotham, Ryan Och, and Clay Dungan.
There will also be a significant contingent of ex-Major Leaguers, as mentioned previously. Mason McCoy, who got time at short last season with Ha-Seong Kim injured, returns as an invite. Former Padres Luis Patino, Logan Gillaspie, and Austin Davis will also be in Arizona.
Additionally, Martin Maldonado, Rodolfo Duran, Niko Goodrum, Oscar Gonzalez, Mike Brosseau, Forrest Wall, J.B. Wendelken, and Trenton Brooks are among the ex-Major Leaguers looking to crack a Major League roster this spring with the Padres.
Make sure to check out who the Cubs and Giants will bring to Arizona.