While not official just yet, a report on March 17 indicated that one of the Padres’ top prospects, Jackson Merrill, is set to become a Major Leaguer during San Diego’s trip to Korea. Merrill got a long look in center field — a hole in the Padres lineup heading into the spring — during Cactus League action in 2024. And after a .995 OPS in the spring, Merrill’s poised to take it.
A Look at Merrill
Drafted out of high school by the Padres in the first round three years ago, infielder/outfielder Jackson Merrill has been a highly-coveted and protected prospect in the San Diego farm system.
The Padres have made some major trades over the years, including the most recent deal that saw San Diego give up Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte, and Samuel Zavala for Dylan Cease. And, the Juan Soto trade cost the Padres MacKenzie Gore, Robert Hassell, and James Wood. However, Merrill remains in the organization.
From a numbers standpoint, Merrill is a very intriguing prospect. Offensively, the 22-year-old didn’t walk a lot in the Minors, as his career BB% was just 7.4%. However, Merrill also doesn’t strike out a lot (15.1% career K%).
Merrill puts the ball in play a lot and last year, the 22-year-old put it in the air significantly more. Per Fangraphs, Merrill posted a GB% close to 60% in A-ball in 2022. Fast forward to 2023 and Merrill’s fly-ball rate exploded, while his GB% was just 33.5% in Double-A.
The 22-year-old goes with a roughly squared stance and an explosive swing. While his career-high in home runs is just 15, Merrill could grow into a 20-25 home run hitter when it’s all said and done.
Defensively, Merrill was a primary shortstop but won’t play that position in the Majors. The 22-year-old got an extensive look in center field this spring, as 10 of his 13 starts before March 18 came there.
Per MLB.com, Jackson Merrill is reportedly set to make the Padres’ Opening Day roster. Merrill is not on the team’s 40-man roster as of this writing.
Analysis
After posting a .995 OPS over 13 Spring Training games, Merrill’s set to bypass Triple-A and make his MLB debut during the Seoul Series. And, the rise of Merrill completes the Padres’ Opening Day outfield heading into Opening Day.
After the trade that sent Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to The Bronx, the only two regular outfielders on the Padres’ 40-man roster were Jose Azocar and Fernando Tatis Jr. San Diego did re-sign OF Jurickson Profar to man left field — but the center field job was wide open.
Merrill, who was a shortstop in the Minors but blocked at the position by Ha-Seong Kim, took it. While he may not be a top-of-the-order hitter for the Padres — thanks to presence of others on the teams and his low OBP figures from the Minors — right off the bat, his projection and tools could make him someone who could fit in the middle of the San Diego lineup for years to come.