16-year-old catching prospect receives $5.6 million from the San Diego Padres

[True Dough]

What a time to be alive! If he invests that money properly, he'll be in good shape for the rest of his life, whether he becomes a big league player or not.

The San Diego Padres signed 16-year-old catcher Ethan Salas of Caracas, Venezuela, to a $5.6 million bonus on Sunday, the first day of the international signing period.

Salas is the consensus top overall prospect in this year's class. The left-handed hitter is the younger brother of Jose Salas, one of the top prospects in the Miami Marlins system.

The Salas brothers have a long family history in baseball. Their father, Jose Antonio, played in the Atlanta Braves organization; their uncle, Jose Gregorio, played in the Toronto Blue Jays system; and their grandfather, Jose Gregorio, played in the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals organizations.

According to scouting reports, Ethan Salas has raw power at the plate and strong defensive skills.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35454596/padres-secure-salas-16-international-signing-period

[blm]

1. Wow

[Deuxcents]

2. I hope he has a good support system n avoids exploitation

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Guy I Know Got A Ton, Too

A half-million in '98 or '99.
Flame throwing pitcher. High 90s when he was 18. Was in Double A his 2nd minor league year.
Blew his elbow out & had TJ surgery. He got his velocity back, but lost movement on the fastball & slider. Could never get it back.
He got a supervisors job at a cold storage warehouse over in the next county & does landscape architecture on the side. (He ran our big yard project. )
He put $200k of the bonus away and wouldn't touch it until his kids got to college age, which is probably now. (His daughter was 3 in 2005)
The rest of the post tax money put a big down payment on a house and furnished it.
BTW: I've played golf with this guy. He can hit it 430. Yeah, those numbers are in the right order.
I saw him hit a drive to about 5' passed the 100 yard stake on a 532 yard par 5. Then, he knocked in the 2/3rds sand wedge. Double eagle.

[True Dough]

4. Tommy John surgery

has become so common. Some pitchers have it twice during their careers. Many bounce back. Your buddy obviously could not. But at least he did the smart thing with his many. A lot squander it, surely, especially coming into it while so young.

[ProfessorGAC]

5. His Parents Had Great Influence

He's also not a dope.
It's weird that he got his speed back, but not movement.
Might be because the natural position of his arm with the original ligament was different after the repair.
He said if felt the same but the fastball didn't break into a right hander anymore and his slider went flat.
Too bad, because he was on the fast track to the show.