San Diego Padres Top Prospects - Midseason 2026

A complete scouting breakdown of the top prospects in the San Diego Padres farm system, including Kruz Schoolcraft, Ethan Salas, and more.

Author

Rhys White
August 04, 2026

Welcome to our team prospect rankings. The MLB Draft has come and gone, and farm systems are reloaded. It is time for a true refresh on all teams’ top prospects. For the rest of July, you will be getting updated Team-by-Team top prospects for every team. New reports for players that have made moves, updated reports on all players, and reports on every top prospect drafted!

These reports are generated from live looks, film study, and advanced data analysis to bring you in-depth fantasy scouting reports on every player you need to know, with today’s being the San Diego Padres’ Top Prospects for 2026.

To get the full report, you need to be a paid subscriber. Why? These reports take a ton of time, and I feel like they are as good as any in the industry. It is filled with advanced data, scouting thoughts, live look reports, long-term outlooks, and more. Each team report is around 8,000 words to help you better understand the prospects. I include peak projections, future fantasy grades, variance factors, and dynasty buys and sells. To see a preview, check out the article below. If you are a Dugout member, scroll down for the Padres top prospects.

San Diego Padres Top Prospects for Dynasty

Format: Name, Position, 2026 OD Age, Height/Weight, Highest Level

San Diego Padres Top Prospects for 2026

1. Ethan Salas, C, 19, 6’1”/185, AAA (Prev Rank: 11)

2026 Update

Man, was that write-up below wrong; now Ethan Salas is back to being an interesting prospect. Salas is now in Triple-A, where he is on the doorstep of the majors and may even contribute to the Padres as early as late this season. For a fantasy catcher, there is some sneaky appeal: he gets on base, has a solid approach, and, for a catcher, has good speed. There is a lot to like in this profile. He is the rare two-way catcher with interesting fantasy upside. Could he be a 20-homer bat who steals 10–12 bases? That is definitely on the cards for the young Ethan Salas.

It is easy to forget that Ethan Salas is only 19 years old, and he has made his way all the way up to Double-A in short order. If he grew up stateside, he would be just signed as a draftee, or he would be embarking on his first season of college ball. There might not be a prospect who experienced prospect fatigue as quickly as Ethan Salas has. 

His 2025 did not go as expected as he suffered a stress reaction in his back that kept him out almost all of 2025. He was only able to put up 41 plate appearances, where he hit .188/.325/.219 in those 41 plate appearances. 

There is solid above-average power here when he makes contact, which can be the issue with Ethan Salas. If he were given everyday playing time, he has the type of power that could result in him being a 20-homer bat from the catching position. And his glove will give him every day playing time. 

There is no fantasy upside here, the way some people are letting on. He is a better real-life prospect, but his glove will buy him playing time and, in turn, plate appearances to maybe hit some homers. It won’t be pretty, but there could be some cheap power here if you can build out the rest of your team to counterbalance his lack of contact.

FFG: Catcher

90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .250/.350/20 HR/10 SB

Variance: High

Buy/Sell: Still Sell, Because You Will Actually Get Value

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