Padres OF Jackson Merrill impresses ahead of second season: ‘There’s a lot to love’

It didnt take long for Severna Park native Jackson Merrill to leave his mark on the National League.The San Diego Padres rookie took the league by storm last season, batting .292 with 24 home runs and 90 RBIs in 156 games.

Now, hes striving for bigger and better as he prepares for his sophomore year in the show.Ive definitely had a chance to [to reflect on last season], Merrill said.

I just havent really wanted to, you know? Just let it go.

[That] was 2024, and its 2025 now, so you just gotta let it go and look to the future.A natural shortstop, Merrill broke camp last year as the Padres opening day center fielder and was tasked with learning a new position at the major league level.

Merrill proved to be a natural in the outfield, finding immediate success.

He rated as a top-10 defensive outfielder in the National League last season, according to Statcasts Outs Above Average metric.As a rookie, Merrill was named an NL All-Star and a Silver Slugger.

Despite placing top-five in batting average and top-10 in wins above replacement (WAR) in the NL, Merrill still finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.

The 2023 No.

1 overall draft pick was dominant in his 23 starts, logging a 1.96 ERA across 133 innings.Skenes received 23 of 30 first-place votes, with Merrill collecting the other seven.

Merrill, however, wasnt fazed by the voters collective decision.I dont really have an opinion on it, Merrill said.

I think that Paul had a very good year.

It was a historic year, if anything.

Obviously, some people believe other things, but for me to sit here and say anything about that, theres no chance for me to do that.

Im here and that happened, he won.

Lets move forward now.The Padres reached the NL Championship Series in 2022, then ponied up $300 million to All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

The preseason favorites to win the NL West, the Padres sorely underachieved in 2023, winning just 82 games and failing to reach the postseason.Despite trading star Juan Soto and shedding roughly $80 million in payroll before the start of the season, the Padres exceeded expectations in 2024, winning 93 games and returning to the playoffs.Merrill was a critical component to the Padres success, and a large reason the club got as far as it did a season ago.He was a catalyst for our club last year that led us into the playoffs and performed well in the playoffs, Padres manager Mike Shildt said.

And now hes going through the league a second time ...

Im really pleased with how he continues to progress defensively, and [with] some of the nuanced things on the bases [that he does].

He continues to get more comfortable within a big-league setting, and hes going to be a presence in the middle of the lineup.

Hes just a great guy and his make-up is really tremendous and his heart to win and compete is pretty much off the charts.

Theres a lot to love.Up two games to one in the NLDS, the Padres had the Los Angeles Dodgers on the brink of elimination.

Just one win away from a return to the NLCS, the Padres bats uncharacteristically went silent and the club proceeded to score zero runs over the final 24 innings of the series, as San Diego fell to its division rival.

The Dodgers went on to win the World Series.Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill connects for a triple against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning of a spring training game earlier this month.

(Ross D.

Franklin/AP)His teams crushing defeat left a bad taste in Merrills mouth, but the budding star has higher hopes for 2025.I want to win with this team, Merrill said.

We got kind of far last year, but I want to get farther.

We have unfinished business, and so the things that are unspoken, we just want to do.Merrill hasnt rested on his laurels or found contentment at the Major League level.

Hes already turned the page from his sensational rookie campaign.In a typical spring training game, starters will be subbed out midgame and upon their exit, theyll go home.

Merrill has made a regular habit out of staying in the dugout for the entire exhibition game, even when his day is done.Greatness at anything, it requires a lot of preparation, natural skillset, the desire to be great, hunger for when you have success, to want more, Shildt said.

Some people have success and it tastes good and maybe its too hard to replicate on a consistent basis.

But the great ones, they have success, and they cant get enough of it.

It tastes so good.

And for Jackson, hes a hungry, competitive athlete that also enjoys the process of playing, so its a great combination.The Padres selected Merrill out of Severna Park High School with the 27th pick of the 2021 MLB Draft.

Not exactly known for baseball, the state of Maryland hadnt produced a first-round pick in the MLB Draft since 2002.Paul W.

Gillespie/Capital GazetteJackson Merrill, pictured in 2021 while playing at Severna Park, has blossomed into a professional standout.

(Staff file)[Baltimores] not very big, Merrill said.

It gets cold a lot, so the summer is about the only time you get to get out there and play that much baseball.Merrill grew up on the travel ball circuit, trekking around the country and playing in tournaments.

His parents made their fair share of sacrifices to help their son accomplish his dreams of being a big leaguer.Now, the Merrill family has a mission of its own dubbed Merrill Madness to help support young athletes that want to play travel sports.

Merrill has also given back to his community in the form of annual visits to local schools that his parents teach at.Every offseason, Ill go to my moms school and my dads school, Merrill said.

Theyre both teachers.

And then we also have some nonprofit stuff that were doing.

[We sell] T-shirts and merchandise and it all goes to charity out there, trying to help kids get bigger in baseball and sports in general.

A lot of kids, they gotta raise money for [their trips to] Cooperstown and kind of get money for tournaments over the summer.

Well donate a lot of stuff they can sell.Related ArticlesMLB | Orioles mailbag: When could Samuel Basallo make his MLB debut?MLB | Orioles Tomoyuki Sugano, Adley Rutschman growing bond on the field and the golf courseMLB | Orioles injury updates: Felix Bautista, Gunnar Henderson uncertain for opening dayMLB | Shohei Ohtani came home as a national hero and he didnt let Japan down at the Tokyo SeriesMLB | Orioles roster projection: Cade Povich, Bryan Baker on the bubbleBaltimore born and raised, Merrill grew up attending plenty of games at Camden Yards, but surprisingly was never an Orioles fan.

Growing up, he rooted for the Boston Red Sox and often cheered against his now teammate, former Orioles infielder Manny Machado.Machado played for the Orioles from 2012 to 2018, so Merrill was between the ages of 9 and 15 during Machados time in Baltimore.As a kid, I was a Red Sox guy, so Manny was like the enemy, Merrill said.

As I got older and got to high school, I realized, hes a baseball player.

Hes just doing his job, so I kind of just eased out with that feeling of him, and now hes one of my closer friends, though.His foe-turned-friend is now just a few lockers down from him in the Padres clubhouse.Its definitely a little surreal sometimes, Merrill said.

I look around and its like everybody that I watched growing up, theyre right here on my team.

And theyre not just like my teammates, theyre my friends too, so its awesome.Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13..

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