Ben and Carlos talk about Ethan Salas catching in the postseason, and marvel at how he’s this good at just 20 years old. They talk about the next tier of top catching prospects, both current minor leaguers and some of the top names in the 2027 class, and think back to some of the standout catchers they’ve evaluated over the years. They also talk about Royals outfielder Angeibel Gomez going to the Arizona Fall League as a 17-year-old and wonder about the future of Kansas City’s big league team. 

—

Time Stamps: 
(0:00) Ethan Salas and receiving
(10:30) Vahn Lackey, Rainiel Rodriguez and next-tier catchers
(19:30) Where does Gavin Kelly fit into this mix?
(22:00) Is high school catching fading?
(30:00) Latin American catching vs. American
(35:00) Standout catching prospects we can remember
(38:00) Angeibel Gomez going to the AFL as a 17 year old
(45:00) The Royals' future and farm system

—

Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.

Future Projection Twitter: @FutureProPod

Ben's Twitter: @BenBadler

Carlos's Twitter: @CarlosACollazo

Baseball America Website

Ben and Carlos talk about Ethan Salas catching in the postseason, and marvel at how he&rsquo;s this good at just 20 years old. They talk about the next tier of top catching prospects, both current minor leaguers and some of the top names in the 2027 class, and think back to some of the standout catchers they&rsquo;ve evaluated over the years. They also talk about Royals outfielder Angeibel Gomez going to the Arizona Fall League as a 17-year-old and wonder about the future of Kansas City&rsquo;s big league team.&nbsp;
&mdash;
Time Stamps:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">(0:00) Ethan Salas and receiving</li>
<li aria-level="1">(10:30) Vahn Lackey, Rainiel Rodriguez and next-tier catchers</li>
<li aria-level="1">(19:30) Where does Gavin Kelly fit into this mix?</li>
<li aria-level="1">(22:00) Is high school catching fading?</li>
<li aria-level="1">(30:00) Latin American catching vs. American</li>
<li aria-level="1">(35:00) Standout catching prospects we can remember</li>
<li aria-level="1">(38:00) Angeibel Gomez going to the AFL as a 17 year old</li>
<li aria-level="1">(45:00) The Royals' future and farm system</li>
</ul>
&mdash;
Do you have feedback for the show or want to ask us a question? Email us: futureprojection@baseballamerica.com.
Future Projection Twitter: <a href="https://x.com/FutureProPod">@FutureProPod</a>
Ben's Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/BenBadler">@BenBadler</a>
Carlos's Twitter: <a href="https://x.com/CarlosACollazo">@CarlosACollazo</a>
<a href="https://www.baseballamerica.com/">Baseball America Website</a>

Baseball America’s Ben Badler and Carlos Collazo offer scout-level insight into all levels of baseball—everything from the amateur MLB Draft, international scouting, minor league prospects to the bigs. New episodes drop every week.

Future Projection

Episode 211: Ethan Salas & The Next Generation Of Catching

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9d401d55-7907-4d9d-a51f-b4d601566eb2/transcript