The Padres had a gap of their Main League heart area spot, and heading into the season-opening Seoul Collection, they’ve addressed that … with their star shortstop prospect.
San Diego is giving No. 12 general prospect Jackson Merrill his Main League debut because the membership’s beginning heart fielder on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old’s ascent to The Present is the most recent chapter in president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and the Padres entrance workplace being aggressive with their high younger abilities. Fernando Tatis Jr. famously debuted at simply 20 years previous too in 2019, skipping proper over Triple-A as Merrill is doing this spring, and CJ Abrams was up as a 21-year-old in April 2022. Decrease down, Ethan Salas reached Double-A at simply 17 years previous final summer time, and 2024 worldwide signee Leodalis De Vries is already stateside.
However in Merrill’s case particularly, San Diego felt able to push the 2021 twenty seventh general decide at this level in his growth as a result of his bat may at the very least maintain its personal in opposition to Main League pitching.
A left-handed hitter, the 6-foot-3 Merrill struck out solely 12.1 % of the time final season over 114 video games at Excessive-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio, and that Ok fee really improved on the increased stage (11.8). The excessive fee of contact continued into the spring as Merrill acquired ample Cactus League appears, punching out solely thrice in 40 plate appearances (7.5 %) whereas slashing .351/.400/.995 with two homers and three doubles in 13 video games.
The Maryland native has lengthy stood out for his capacity to manage the barrel, squaring up balls to all fields whereas defending the plate on the identical time. A promising step in his growth final 12 months was improved elevation on contact as his groundball fee shrunk from 59.6 % in 2022 to 42.5 in ’23, and that helped result in a career-high 15 homers.
Contemplating Merrill is prone to bat low within the San Diego lineup to start his profession, the Padres don’t want the phenom to be an enormous energy risk straight out of the gate. Prioritizing contact and getting on base forward of extra skilled boppers Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado and Tatis atop the order could be a advantageous match for the massive membership’s wants. However given Merrill’s energy trajectory, he may attain 20-plus homers within the bigs as he will get deeper into his 20s.
The massive query mark dealing with Merrill in his transfer to the Majors is on the defensive facet.
Coming into 2024, he had made 178 of his 186 profession Minor League begins at shortstop, and whereas he was thought of pretty huge for the place, he had proven sufficient improved arm power and quickness to carry down the function. However with Bogaerts signed long-term and Ha-Seong Kim trying like a possible defensive wizard on the filth, it grew to become clear that as Merrill’s bat appeared MLB-ready he’d probably have to maneuver out of the center infield to discover a place in San Diego.
Although he’s simply a median runner, Merrill ought to have sufficient velocity to cowl some floor in heart. The presence of Platinum Glove winner Tatis in proper ought to ease his have to chase down balls within the hole to his left, and Tatis’ presence probably performed a task within the membership’s choice to push Merrill into heart. That stated, Merrill had zero video games of center-field expertise within the Minors – his solely outfield time got here in left – and his jumps and routes will probably take much more repetitions to enhance. For his half, Merrill has talked this spring about preferring heart to the corners as a result of he discovered quick consolation together with his reads on balls coming straight-on moderately than these which are sidespun and headed towards the foul traces.
Rising pains are to be anticipated on the defensive finish, however the Padres are snug sufficient with spring appears to push their No. 2 prospect on the market on the massive stage. The most important industrywide perception is within the bat anyway, and if Merrill adjusts to MLB pitching the way in which he has to arms in every single place else, San Diego may have one other star homegrown expertise on its arms.