If Ethan Salas weren't the 17-year-old in big league camp that everyone's talking about, you'd really never know that he's a 17-year-old in big league camp.

At least, that's the assessment of those who have worked closely with the Padres' No. 1 prospect over the past few weeks.

"He's really just so natural with it at this point," said lefty Robby Snelling, the team's No. 3 prospect, who has thrown to Salas in several live settings this spring. "He doesn't act like a normal 17-year-old. He receives just as well as anybody else I've thrown to. I really don't think about the age when we get into it. We're both trying to do the same thing. In my opinion, age doesn't really matter, if you're capable of doing it at this high of a level."

Said righty Adam Mazur, the Padres' No. 8 prospect: "He definitely doesn't come across like [a 17-year-old]. You can tell, he's reading hitters, he's looking at all the little things. He calls a great game, really good at receiving, really good at knowing what a pitcher needs in his set-up or as a target. You know when you're pitching to him that he's going to battle with you."

The Padres begin their spring slate today with a Cactus League tilt against the rival Dodgers. With a number of catchers ahead of him in the big league pecking order, Salas is unlikely to play the opener.

Still, he's going to play at some point very soon. When he does, I think it's fair to make a big deal about it. He's a 17-year-old catcher facing big league competition and catching big league arms. For that position, that's really, really impressive. 

But here's the thing: The Padres aren't making a big deal out of it. They asked Salas to report to big league camp with players twice his age, because they felt he was ready for it. It's the same reason they moved him as high as Double-A San Antonio last year in his first full professional season.

"The big thing is just continue to learn and grow and get more experiences," said Padres general manager A.J. Preller. "It's good for him being around better players, big league players. He's shown well so far early in camp. He'll get some opportunity to play in these games, and when the time comes, he'll get ready for his Minor League season."

It's only been 13 months since the Padres signed Salas as the top international prospect in last year's class. Last summer, he became the first 16-year-old to play pro ball in a full-season league since Julio Urías.

But the Padres weren't content to stop there. Salas held his own at Single-A Lake Elsinore, so they promoted him to High-A Fort Wayne -- and eventually San Antonio so he could take part in the Missions' playoff run.

And while Salas struggled at the plate at those two higher levels, he was, after all, a 17-year-old facing players well above his age and experience level.

"I always love a challenge," Salas said. "I feel like I was never overmatched at any level I played at last year. It's just going into [this year] more prepared and knowing more about myself than I did last year."

If Salas loves a challenge, he's in the right organization. There might be no team in baseball that's so willing to push its top prospects. That's led some people to wonder whether it's possible Salas could earn a late-season callup as soon as this year.

That still feels like a stretch. But clearly the Padres think highly enough of Salas' abilities that they aren't afraid to challenge him. He's met those challenges thus far, catching live BPs on the same schedule as the rest of the team's catchers and holding his own against the pitchers in big league camp.

Again, easy to forget he's 17... until he's asked about sharing a clubhouse with some of the Padres' superstars. 

"It's cool," Salas said earlier this spring. "I watched these guys play on TV when I was younger. I've played with them in videogames. It's pretty cool just getting to know them as people and as teammates. It's going to be really, really fun."

Who is the youngest player in Padres history to play a game at catcher?

A. Mike Ivie
B. Fred Kendall
C. Benito Santiago
D. Luis Torrens

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

• The Padres play their first Spring Training game TODAY. And while it's always fun to watch the superstars, the biggest storylines usually lie beneath the surface. Here are four subplots to watch, as Cactus League play gets underway. Story >

• Luis Campusano's road to the starting-catcher role was so long and so winding, it's easy to forget he's only 25. The Padres are envisioning big things from the new-look Campusano in 2024. Story >

• The Padres need offensive upgrades. Their window to find those upgrades is shorter than the rest of the league's. With that as the backdrop, Preller spoke at Cactus League Media Day in Glendale on Tuesday. Story >

(TEMPORARILY) BACK TO THE BULLPEN?

When the Padres traded for Michael King, they made it clear they'd acquired him as a starter. The right-hander spent most of his career pitching in relief for the Yankees. But he's already a rotation lock in San Diego, and he pitched two live innings on a back field Wednesday as he builds toward a starter's workload.

But in a quirky twist, it's possible that King's Padres debut could come in relief. That's because San Diego is slated to open its season in Seoul against the Dodgers on March 20-21. Then, it's seven more days until the next scheduled regular-season game.

By the time he arrives in Korea, King is expected to be fully built up to a starter's workload. But Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove are the favorites to start those two games. If the team were to ask King for, say, a couple relief innings, he says he's on board.

"I know that I've earned the starting role, and I know that that's how they see me," King said. "So if they're like: 'Because we're given this weird situation, we might need you in a different position' ... I think it'd be fun. I'd love to pitch in that crowd."

The Padres, however, seem to view things a bit more cautiously. They're building their starters meticulously, with a full 162-game season in mind.

"Relative to starters coming out of the bullpen, I can't say it wouldn't happen," manager Mike Shildt said. "But I can tell you right now, we do have a lot of guys in the bullpen we feel good about. I don't know if it behooves us for those guys, first time out, to be coming out of the bullpen."

DESIGNATED HITTER BY COMMITTEE

The Padres don't have a traditional DH, which, in a way, means they have plenty of options at DH.

"We don't have a clear-cut DH, so it'll be matchup-related," Shildt said. "We can use it to get guys a half-day [off] so to speak. ... We will use it as an opportunity to get guys off their feet on the field. Then, we'll use guys off the bench, get them at-bats to stay sharp."

There's still a possibility that Manny Machado opens the season as a DH, coming off October elbow surgery. But Shildt acknowledged that he's trending toward playing third base on Opening Day. If not, it shouldn't be too long before Machado takes the field.

It's also possible the Padres would acquire a DH-type bat in the coming weeks, perhaps a first-base or corner-outfield piece. But with the holes elsewhere in their starting lineup, the DH spot will probably remain flexible.

"We have the ability to mix and match a little bit," Preller said. "And we're still out there talking about some bats that could be brought in as well."

A. Ivie, the No. 1 overall selection in the 1970 Draft, played six games for the Padres that season after being called up in September as a 19-year-old. He's the only teenage catcher in franchise history... so far.