Ornelas, Rosario go to work in winter leagues; Salas, De Vries, Sanabria still solid in AFL

By Bill Center

Photo of C Ethan Salas at-bat

Eighteen-year-old Padres prospects Ethan Salas and Leodalis De Vries and first baseman Romeo Sanabria cooled off in the third week of the Arizona Fall League but are still off to solid starts in Major League Baseball’s premier off-season development league.

Catcher Ethan Salas, the Padres’ №1 prospect, is 17-for-56 for the Peoria Javelinas with five doubles, two home runs, 16 RBIs, nine walks, two stolen bases and six runs scored for a .304 batting average, a .394 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage for an .894 OPS.

Switch-hitting shortstop Leodalis De Vries, who is ranked the Padres’ №2 prospect, is 9-for-40 with three doubles, a home run, six RBIs, six walks and two stolen bases for a .225/.333/.375/.708 slash line.

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Salas, who is ranked the №20 prospect in all the minor leagues, and De Vries (№47 in all the minors), are each four years younger than the average age in the AFL.

Left-handed-hitting first baseman Sanabria, 22, the Padres’ №24 prospect, is 11-for-39 in the AFL with three doubles, four RBIs, six walks and 10 runs scored for a .282/.378/.359/.737 slash line. Catcher Brendan Durfee, who is on the Peoria taxi squad in the AFL, has a double in 13 at-bats with four walks and three runs scored.

Several players connected to the Padres are off to strong starts in the Mexican Pacific League.

Switch-hitting catcher-first baseman Brandon Valenzuela, 24, the Padres’ №12 prospect, is 10-for-37 with his native Hermosillo with six doubles, a home run, four RBIS, 11 walks (against 12 strikeouts) and five runs scored for a .270/.438/.514/.951.

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Tijuana native Tirso Ornelas, the Padres’ Minor League Player of the Year for 2024, is 3-for-8 with a double, two RBIs, five walks (without a strikeout) and four runs scored in his first two games with Jalisco. The 24-yeear-old, 6-foot-3, left-handed hitter is ranked the Padres’ №18 prospect and has been in the Padres’ organization since 2016.

Left-handed-hitting middle infielder Clay Dungan, 28, is off to a 15-for-56 start for Mexicali with two doubles, a triple, 14 walks (against 14 strikeouts), two stolen bases and 11 runs scored for a .268/.403/.339/.742 slash line.

Two other players with Padres’ connections made their debuts in the Dominican Republic Winter League.

Third baseman Eguy Rosario is off to a 3-for-11 start for Estrellas with a double and a home run. In two starts for the Gigantes, right-hander Nabil Crismatt has given up two runs on seven hits and a walk with six strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings for a 1.86 earned run average and a 0.828 WHIP.

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Outfielder Robert Perez Jr., 24, is off to a 6-for-45 start in Venezuela with three doubles, six RBIs, two walks and six runs scored for a .133/.188/.200/.388 slash line. Left-hander Miguel Cienfuegos, 27, is 1–0 after two starts in Venezuela with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.615 WHIP — giving up seven runs (four earned) on 12 hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.

Left-hander Ruben Salinas, 21, who is listed as both an outfielder and relief pitcher with the Padres, has a 2.45 ERA and a 0.818 WHIP after five appearances with Obregon of the MPL — giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits with two strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

Meanwhile, Padres pitching prospects continue to struggle in the Arizona Fall League.

Right-handed starters Gabe Mosser and Ryan Bergert are both 0–2. Mosser, 28, who is working on a knuckleball, has a 10.24 ERA and a 2.172 WHIP after four games (three starts) — giving up 11 runs on 17 hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings. Bergert, 24, the Padres’ №26 prospect, has a 12.91 ERA and a 2.609 WHIP in three starts — giving up 12 runs (11 earned) on 11 hits and nine walks with nine strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings.

Right-handed reliever David Morgan, 24, the Padres’ №30 prospect, has a 9.64 ERA and a 2.357 WHIP with a save in five appearances — giving up five runs on six hits and five walks with seven strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Left-hander Harry Gustin, 22, has a 5.40 ERA and a 2.200 WHIP after five appearances — giving up six runs (three earned) on eight hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in five innings. Right-hander Luis German, 22, has a 27.00 ERA and a 4.50 WHIP — giving up six runs on five hits and four walks in two innings.