The Salas brothers had been dreaming of this moment their entire lives.
Still, nothing could compare to the reality of it as Twins prospect Jose Salas and Single-A Fort Myers hosted youngest brother Andrew Salas, the Marlins' No. 5 prospect, and Jupiter this week.
“A lot of emotions,” said Jose, the eldest of the talented Salas brothers at age 22, of going into the three-game series between the Florida State League squads at Hammond Stadium.
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The only thing missing was middle brother, Ethan. MLB's No. 30 prospect is a highly touted catcher playing for the Padres' Double-A affiliate in San Antonio.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to be able to play against my brothers,” Jose said earlier this week. “And that’s just one dream. The main goal is to have this in the big leagues.
“Seeing [Andrew] grow up, and playing for the team I used to play for, it’s kind of bringing back just a lot of déjà vu, but it’s a blessing to play against him, and hopefully play against Ethan.”
They may have been competition on this occasion, but on the other side of the field, Andrew was having very similar feelings as his brother.
“It was a dream, it was our plan,” the 17-year-old said. “It was a goal for all three of us, and for it to actually be happening, just very grateful for the opportunity God has given us to have what we have and what Jose did for obviously me and Ethan to carve our path to pro ball. … Now [we] want to enjoy it, take care of our job, and just get to the end goal, which is obviously the big leagues.”
Jose's first foray into the professional game came in the Marlins organization in 2021 before he was traded to Minnesota as part of the Luis Arraez deal in January 2023. Jose said his familiarity with the club has helped him advise Andrew, who has compiled a slash line of .360/.508/.420 over 15 games for the Hammerheads in his debut season.
“I think with me and Andrew -- us three brothers, we’re super close,” said Jose, who turned 22 on Saturday. He celebrated with a grand slam during a six-RBI game Sunday before turning his attention to the dream series.
“We call each other almost every day, and I think with Andrew, it’s a little different in the aspect of he played for the same org that I played for, and going through the same steps that I went through. ... [I’m] just trying to give him the best advice that I can. ... I know he’s in some good hands with some good people that are there.”
Several family members and friends were on hand for the series, and they sat in a designated Salas section. Andrew played in two of the contests, going 7-for-10 with three RBIs, two runs scored and three stolen bases as the Hammerheads won the series, 2-1. Jose got into two of those games, picking up a hit and a stolen base in five plate appearances.
And don't think they didn't talk about bragging rights while it was going on. Jose expected it.
“A lot of chirping,” he said as the series got underway. “I think it’s gonna be a lot of friendly, brotherly love chirping.”
The Hammerheads ultimately took the series, 2-1, so the advantage went to Andrew for now. At least until the teams meet again for a six-game series in Jupiter, starting May 13.