Phillies’ Devin Saltiban Takes Quickly To Infield
Devin Saltiban wants to learn as much as he can.
The 20-year-old was an outfielder in high school in Hawaii, but he transitioned to the infield after being drafted by the Phillies in the third round in 2023.
In his first full professional season last year, Saltiban played 88 games at second base for Low-A Clearwater. He also started at second for the Phillies’ Spring Breakout game against the Pirates on March 14, and hit an RBI double.
Satliban’s desire to improve has been key to his adjustment, according to Phillies minor league infield coordinator Adam Everett.
“You watch him now on the infield and he looks like he’s been out there his whole life, which is really a testament to him, because he really has worked hard,” Everett said.
Saltiban did it all while also adjusting to a much higher level of play than he was accustomed to in high school. He didn’t have much experience with facing high velocity in Hawaii, but he acclimated quickly in the Florida State League, where he hit .237/.346/.428 with 17 home runs as a 19-year-old.
Saltiban also showed off some speed, stealing 22 bases.
“I don’t even think he’s come close to scratching the surface on his ability,” Everett said.
The Phillies tested him out at shortstop for a few games shortly after he was drafted in 2023, but Everett thinks Saltiban has found his long-term home at second base. The next step for the 5-foot-9 righthanded hitter is to continue to get reps, and continue to ask questions about his craft.
“Hopefully when he gets to the big leagues one of these days, he can go, ‘Yep, I made that mistake. I’m not going to do it again,’ ” Everett said. “Or, ‘Hey, this didn’t work for me down there, where this did. So I can really kind of lean on that.’
“He just needs to play, needs to gain experience. The more experience he can get, the better this kid’s gonna be.”
