On March 20th, 2024 Jackson Merrill made his MLB debut in Soul South Korea when the Padres fell to the Dodgers by a score of 5-2.

The next day, Merrill had two hits and two runs as part of a big 15-11 Padres win.

When the MLB left South Korea and returned to the States to put the season in full swing many people became intrigued by the former shortstop turned center fielder.

Soon, that intrigue turned into promise as Merrill became a prominent figure in an NL Rookie of the Year race which was seen as a guarantee to be won by either Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga or Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Merrill will have to continue this hot play to beat out Pirates pitching sensation Paul Skenes but he is certainly making voters consider their once easy choice.

Last week, Merrill was named the NL Player of the Week after hitting .417 (10-24) with four home runs, eight RBI, two steals, and nine runs scored.

“Just playing the game, you know? There’s nothing else I can say other than I am playing the game and having fun,” Merrill said.

Safe to say Merrill is having some fun through his first 116 games in the big leagues.

This season Merrill is slashing .289/.321/.479 with 17 home runs, 64 RBI, and 13 stolen bases.

“Any big situation, he is ready for it,” Padres third baseman Manny Machado said. “He is different, man.”

Merrill proved his Padres teammate right once again last night in San Deigo’s 2-1 win over the Pirates.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Padres were clinging on to their one-run lead with a runner on first and two outs.

Bryan Reynolds drove a ball into the right-center field gap that had an expected batting average of .490

Enter Jackson Merrill….

San Deigo’s budding star ran the ball down to make a diving catch to secure the Padres’ 17th win in their last 20 games.

The Padres continue to impress with a 67-53 record on the season and if you want to know a big reason why, look no further than their rookie centerfielder who played shortstop just months ago.