Five Padres Named to MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects List 

Preseason List includes former Missions players Merrill, Salas and Snelling

SAN ANTONIO – On January 26th, MLB Pipeline unveiled their Preseason Top 100 Prospects List. Five players from the San Diego Padres organization made the initial list. Three of those players played for the San Antonio Missions during the 2023 season.

Ethan Salas (#8)

The 17-year-old is currently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the #1 catching prospect heading into the 2024 season. After signing with the Padres in January of 2023, Salas played for Single-A Lake Elsinore, High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio in 2023. In 66 combined games, he batted .248 with nine homers, 13 doubles and 41 RBI.

Jackson Merrill (#12)

The 20-year-old is currently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the #4 shortstop prospect heading into the 2024 season. The Padres selected Merrill with the 27th overall pick in the 2021 Draft out of Severna Park High School in Maryland. Merrill played in 114 combined games in 2023 between High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio. He batted .277 with 15 homers, 25 doubles and 64 RBI last season.

Robby Snelling (#36)

The 20-year-old is currently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the #3 left-handed pitching prospect heading into the 2024 season. The Padres selected Snelling with the 39th overall pick in the 2022 Draft out of McQueen High School in Nevada. The southpaw made his professional debut in 2023 and dominated across Single-A, High-A and Double-A. In 22 starts, he went 11-3 with a 1.82 ERA while striking out 118 batters across 103.2 innings. He received two Pitcher of the Week honors and was named California League Pitcher of the Year. Snelling was nominated for Pitching Prospect of the Year at the 2023 MiLB Awards.

Dylan Lesko (#56)

The 20-year-old is currently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the #9 right-handed pitching prospect heading into the 2024 season. The Padres selected Lesko with the 15th overall pick in the 2022 Draft out of Buford High School in Georgia. He made his professional debut in 2023 and made appearances in the ACL, Single-A and High-A. In 12 starts, Lesko went 1-5 with a 5.45 ERA while striking out 52 batters across 33.0 innings.

Drew Thorpe (#85)

The 23-year-old was acquired by San Diego from New York in December of 2023 as part of the Juan Soto trade. The Yankees originally selected him in the 2nd round (61st overall) of the 2022 Draft out of Cal Poly. The Utah native made his professional debut in 2023 and pitched for High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset. In 23 starts, he went 14-2 with a 2.52 ERA while striking out 182 batters across 139.1 innings. He was awarded Pitching Prospect of the Year at the 2023 MiLB Awards. Thorpe also collected three Pitcher of the Week honors, two Pitcher of the Month honors and was named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year.

With the minor league season still a few months away, it will be intriguing to see where these prospects end up playing in 2024. The full list of the Top 100 Prospects can be seen here.

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