This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Charles Curtis.
There are these moments you have when you get older — or, at least, as a soon-to-be-41-year-old (gahhhhhhhhhhh), I have them.
It usually happens during pro sports league drafts. Like when an 18-year-old or whatever player gets taken No. 1 overall in the NHL draft and I’m thinking, well, here’s a guy who will carry a giant pro franchise on his back and holy cow (not the word I use) I’m in my 40s.
It happened to me on Wednesday morning. I’m sitting here, reading about Ethan Salas. He’s a catcher in the San Diego Padres, signed out of Venezuela and handed a $5.6 million bonus (don’t you wish you could make that kind of money before you turn 21?). And … he’s 16 years old.
What’s more: He just made his debut in Single-A. At 16. SIXTEEN. AND HE GOT A HIT IN HIS DEBUT.
Welcome to Lake Elsinore! In his very first at bat, Ethan Salas delivers with a double in an 8-pitch AB!#StormTheLake pic.twitter.com/Cx4p5VSF1l
— Lake Elsinore Storm Baseball (@Storm_Baseball) May 31, 2023
Imagine what you were doing at that age. Were you hitting professional baseballs? This has happened before — Dodgers hurler Julio Urias was 16 and moved up to Single-A a decade ago — but this is wild. The hype around Salas is that he’s got all five tools and that he could move up super-quick — one scout predicted he’d be a 10-time All-Star.
I feel old. But I’m also in awe. Good luck, Ethan, and keep it going!
Quick Hits: NFL RB rankings … Another ump show … and more.
— Christian D’Andrea ranked every NFL team’s RB rotation for 2023.
— Ump Jerry Layne got in Jeremy Pena’s face after making a bad call, and MLB fans rightfully ripped him.
— Eli Drinkwitz went on a confusing NIL rant while discussing NCAA gambling issues.
— Love this Aaron Judge and Teoscar Hernandez exchange after the former robbed the latter of a dinger.