The ascendant Jackson Merrill is a crucial link between the Padres' present and future

PEORIA, Ariz.

More than a year before he boarded his first overseas flight and made his major-league debut last season, Jackson Merrill found himself confronted with the business of baseball.

The San Diego Padres had drafted him two summers earlier, and already, ahead of his debut in High A, they wanted to discuss the idea of a contract extension.

Advertisement Merrill, the Padres believed, was no ordinary 19-year-old.

Team officials lauded his talent and gushed about his makeup.

They forecasted a swift ascent through the farm system and early impact after his arrival.

They pictured Merrill entrenching himself up the middle at Petco Park for years to come.

In 2024, as Merrill stormed the big leagues, almost all of those hopes turned into reality.

Meanwhile, a long-term deal remained aspirational.

Weve had (conversations) at different moments over the last few years, even dating back to when he was in the minor leagues.

He understands that we value him a lot and want him here for a long time, Padres president of baseball operations A.J.

Preller said recently.

Those were some of the concepts from the past.

We were just like, was there a creative way to do something before he broke into the big leagues? And even last year when he was breaking into the big leagues? Ultimately, we never got to anything concrete.

Considering what Merrill achieved in his first season a selection to the All-Star Game; a seamless transition from shortstop to center field; a Silver Slugger award the Padres might have missed the boat on a historic bargain.

Perhaps they can take comfort in Merrills ongoing affinity for San Diego, even as he acknowledges the obvious: Not signing an extension before he debuted was the right choice.

Id say so myself, yeah, Merrill said last week at the Padres spring training complex in Arizona.

But Id still rather just be here right now and forever.

Weeks before his 22nd birthday, Merrill represents a crucial link between the present and the future.

In 2024, no player swung the Padres fortunes as dramatically as the then-rookie .

Now, ahead of a season that could determine the franchises trajectory, Merrill appears poised to make another leap.

Itll be a good challenge to have some recognition going into the year, Merrill said.

Its good for me to go in there and be like, hey, screw the recognition .

Screw what everybody thinks.

I dont care if they think Im good.

I want to prove that Im better than I was last year.

All last summer, as the numbers and highlights piled up, Merrill insisted he did not care about the National League Rookie of the Year race.

He maintained his focus was on helping his team, not chasing individual accolades.

In hindsight, the two pursuits were not mutually exclusive.

Major League Baseballs Prospect Promotion Incentive encourages clubs to call up their best prospects as soon as possible.

Because Merrill broke camp last spring with the Padres, debuting against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul, he would have earned an early draft pick for San Diego by winning the NLs top rookie award.

Advertisement I told (Preller), I want to win this for the pick, Merrill said.

You get an extra draft pick (after) the first round.

Its just huge for the organization.

Merrill wound up second in the voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

He finished with the most wins above replacement 5.3, according to FanGraphs by a Rookie of the Year runner-up since Kenny Lofton in 1992.

Still, it was not enough to secure an extra draft pick.

The Pittsburgh Pirates also did not receive a pick, after waiting until May to promote eventual award winner Paul Skenes.

He should have won it, veteran infielder Xander Bogaerts said of Merrill.

He played every day and helped us make it into the playoffs.

He was a huge factor in making it.

He played that well.

Sometimes its a tough year to be in that race.

GO DEEPER Padres rookie Jackson Merrill keeps playing, keeps starring: Hes a bad dude Looking back now, Merrill says he still mostly doesnt care.

Rookie of the Year is sick.

Dont get me wrong.

I have no hatred against the award, no hatred against anything that comes with it, he said.

Im proud of the people that won it.

I was proud of Paul.

He had a great year.

Im not really tripping about it.

But he does care at least a little.

Its just like a little chip on the shoulder, you know? said Merrill, who often was the youngest and smallest player on his childhood teams.

After pushing to make the roster last spring while learning a new position, Merrill entered camp last month knowing that the center-field job and a premium spot in the lineup were his.

He has refined his preparation, valuing quality as much as quantity.

Yet teammates and coaches say he has shown no dip in desire or dedication.

This spring, like he did a year ago, Merrill beat almost everyone to the Padres complex each morning.

He typically was the only big-league regular still in the dugout at the end of Cactus League games, even ones hed exited innings earlier.

Advertisement Hes always hungry, Bogaerts said.

Hes always that guy.

I just feel like the way he plays the game, the way he goes about his business, in his mind hes always in the office, outfielder Jason Heyward said.

Just, what can I do to get better? What can I do to be the best version of myself? The great ones, when they have success, they cant get enough of it, Padres manager Mike Shildt said.

And for Jackson, hes a hungry, competitive athlete that also enjoys the process of playing.

Merrill does not have specific statistical goals as he enters Year 2.

Never, he said.

I hate doing that.

He says he prefers to compete with a different kind of awareness.

I have no other motivation besides my teammates.

I dont care about personal stuff, Merrill said.

But your teammates, they come in and give their fing heart every day.

I want to do the same thing.

I say it all the time: If you come in prepared for the game and you lose, screw it.

You were prepared, you were ready to go.

If youre coming to the game prepared to kick somebodys ass, youre like, hell yeah , it feels good.

Lets do it again.

In one sense, he will get another crack at last season.

As a pre-arbitration player, Merrill remains eligible for the Prospect Promotion Incentive.

He has exhausted his opportunities to become a Rookie of the Year, but he still can earn an extra draft pick for the Padres by finishing in the top three in NL MVP voting.

It does not feel purely aspirational.

Last season, he finished ninth.

If he does what he did last year, Padres hitting coach Victor Rodriguez said, we are going to be in a good place.

In December 2023, when Milwaukee Brewers outfield prospect Jackson Chourio agreed to an eight-year, $82 million contract , the significance of the move registered with Merrill.

How could it not? Besides a name, Merrill and Chourio share multiple notable things: age, position, and the potential to be a perennial All-Star.

Advertisement That was before he even played a major-league game, though, Merrill said.

I got to see that.

Im like, Oh, thats great, but maybe (I should) prove it first, then lets go get that deal or something.

That deal may not happen anytime soon.

Merrill has put himself on track for a much larger payday.

The Athletic s Tim Britton recently projected an extension in the neighborhood of 15 years and $375 million.

The Padres, already carrying several nine-figure contracts, may not be able to afford him at least not at that price range.

In part because of those existing commitments, no team in baseball appears to have a wider gap between floor and ceiling.

Key regulars Dylan Cease, Michael King, Luis Arraez and Robert Suarez could help the Padres, coming off a 93-win season, to a second consecutive playoff appearance.

And, as pending free agents, they could be prime trade candidates this summer.

Depending on how the first half unfolds, a midseason reset could be as likely as another run at toppling the Dodgers in October.

The Padres might possess enough firepower to reattempt what they almost pulled off last fall, but they also are coming off a second consecutive offseason of austerity.

Relative restraint is expected to continue.

This month, John Seidler ascended to the post of control person while a lawsuit contesting control of the franchise remains pending.

GO DEEPER John Seidler officially takes over as Padres' control person Amid it all, Merrill has said San Diego is where hed like to spend his career.

I want to be here long-term, Merrill said.

I dont care about the I care about the money, for sure.

Like, I know my value and my worth.

Im not oblivious.

I want to be here.

(But) Im not going to try and screw them and take all their money.

Theres hella time in the future.

Im 21.

If you sign a longer deal, you want Year 6, 7 to come around and you got these people who we can sign and get on the team and bring with me, rather than sign a big deal and feel like you cant get anybody else.

And its tight.

We dont know whats gonna happen in the future ...

but youve just got to be patient and see how it plays out.

Advertisement At the moment, his priority is shoring up the lone weakness from an otherwise unassailable rookie campaign.

Merrill swung last season at 34.4 percent of the pitches he saw outside the strike zone.

His walk rate was just below 5 percent.

The Padres new No.

3 hitter knows, after residing lower in the lineup in 2024, he can stand to be more selective batting between established stars Fernando Tatis Jr.

and Manny Machado.

He isnt worried, he says, that he failed to draw a single walk this Cactus League.

The process is more critical than exhibition results, and Rodriguez says the Padres have been pleased with Merrills swing decisions.

My game has always been bat-to-ball, so Im not going to change that, Merrill said.

At the same time, though, theres a way to make it better.

I know the areas I do damage in.

I know the areas I dont.

And he knows there is plenty he doesnt yet know.

He wont turn 22 until April 19.

I have a lot to learn, he said.

More than a decade ago, one of Merrills new teammates found himself in a similar position.

Heyward, who joined the Padres last month, entered the 2010 season as a 20-year-old outfield prospect for the Atlanta Braves.

He finished it as an All-Star, a runner-up for Rookie of the Year, and a postseason-tested player.

His career is a reminder that immediate success does not guarantee even greater prosperity.

But Heyward, who remains a one-time All-Star, has won a World Series and competed in nine other postseasons.

Most players would gladly trade their careers for his.

The Padres, hoping for a combination of valuable experience and inexpensive production, signed him just before spring training.

Since then, Heyward has gone from being a distant admirer of Merrills to knowing what makes him tick.

We can say we think someones this or someones that.

I think that was something I dealt with a lot, especially in the beginning, Heyward, 35, said.

The expectation was high, and thats a good thing.

...

But now with some expectations, how do we handle that? How do we keep the main thing the main thing? I think he has a chip on his shoulder about being himself, which is a very nice way to go about it.

Advertisement You get a taste of being in the postseason, you want to do that again.

You want to go as far as you possibly can.

That was always my mentality.

Its helped solve a lot of things.

Just focus on winning.

As a new season dawns and uncertainty clouds the horizon, the Padres will rely on that level of focus from their youngest player.

(Top photo: Orlando Ramirez / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6228531/2025/03/25/jackson-merrill-padres-opening-day-mlb/