Does Ethan Salas' Two-Homer Game Alter Padres' Postseason Plans At Catcher Position?

[Steve Drumwright]

After hitting his first two homers in the same game, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that Ethan Salas should be the San Diego Padres' primary catcher during the postseason. But has he earned that right yet? Not so fast.

Wednesday's 9-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies was the 20-year-old's fifth start behind the plate since being called up by the Padres. Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect started another game at designated hitter. He has played in nine of the Friars' 14 games entering Thursday's series finale against the Rockies.

Working Salas into the lineup is tricky for manager Craig Stammen. The Padres have had Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin split time all season and it has mostly worked out just fine. Campusano has the better bat of the two, while Fermin is the better defender. Salas has the upside to be a star catcher in MLB, but not the experience. He is 20 years old, after all.

The biggest benefit of Wednesday's two-homer game, in which Salas became the youngest catcher to go deep twice in the same game (20 years, 107 days) and the youngest of any Padre to do so, was instilling confidence in the young backstop. He went 0-for-12 before hitting a flyball triple off the tall wall in San Francisco for his first MLB hit Sunday.

Then came his two-homer game Wednesday. Stammen is looking for opportunities to give Salas experience, putting him in during a blowout without the pressure of a critical pennant-race at-bat. While trying to balance the need to win every game to clinch an NL wild-card berth and keeping his regular two catchers in form, it was telling that Salas was not in the lineup to conclude the Rockies series, even if it would have been as the DH. It was Jackson Merrill's turn to DH after Fernando Tatis Jr. did it the day before.

Is it a missed opportunity to ride Salas' hot hand and build his confidence? Perhaps. But it also depends on the plan the Padres have internally for Salas. Sure, fans want to see the rookie phenom in these final regular-season games and then the playoffs. He is the future for the Friars behind the plate. But if you take a closer look at Salas' catching duties, you might get a clue as to what that plan is.

In the four games Salas has started behind the plate, He has caught Nick Pivetta twice and Casey Mize and Robbie Ray once each. Pivetta makes a lot of sense as Salas caught the right-hander in Salas' last Triple-A game before his promotion. The Mize game was in Salas' MLB debut against the Cincinnati Reds, while the Ray start was Wednesday. Salas has also caught a bulk of the Padres' bullpen.

However, three relievers Salas has not yet caught in a game are Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Bradgley Rodriguez, the Padres' end-of-game arms. Is that on purpose or just how the games played out? It could also be because Salas, while everyone has said for the last couple years that he was MLB-ready as a defender, still needs some polish back there before handling the Friars' big bullpen arms. Salas has caught Miller, Morejon and Rodriguez during spring training, but that's a different environment than a playoff chase. Also, opponents are 5-for-5 stealing against Salas despite his excellent arm, with his one error coming on a catcher's interference against the Yankees.

Salas hasn't had consistent playing time since coming up, something that is new to him. After all, he has typically been the best player on his team wherever he has been. He played in three straight games on the homestand against the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals, then in back-to-back games vs. the Giants and Rockies. Even of those seven games, four were coming off the bench, and two of those in the DH role. In the Nationals game, Salas started, the game was tight and he was pinch-hit for, with Fermin handling catching duties the rest of the way with Rodriguez, Morejon and Miller entering the game and securing a 3-2 victory.

If Salas continues to get hits when he does get playing time, you could see similar situations like that Nationals game where Salas starts and Fermin comes in late in the game to handle the high-velocity arms.

As a left-handed bat, which is rare off the Padres' bench with Gavin Sheets still on the injured list, Salas could get some pinch-hit opportunities and another couple starts before the postseason. He is a no-brainer to make the 26-man roster for the NL Wild Card Series as you don't need as many pitchers for the best-of-three series. If the Padres advance beyond that, however, the rookie's status will be something to monitor closely.

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