SAN DIEGO — Jackson Merrill insists he’s not doing something new or completely different. Severely. OK, positive, possibly he has made a pair minor mechanical tweaks. However he is at all times doing that. It isn’t like he’s doing something with the specific function of attempting to hit for energy.
And but, have a look at these outcomes: Prior to now 10 video games, Merrill has homered seven instances. His most up-to-date was a Statcast-projected 440-foot moonshot off the Petco Park batter’s eye — a three-run drive within the fourth inning that despatched the Padres to a 6-4 victory over the Brewers on Saturday afternoon.
Ha-Seong Kim and Kyle Higashioka additionally went deep, and right-hander Randy Vásquez tossed 5 scoreless frames as San Diego earned its fourth straight victory.
It began with Merrill, who grew to become the youngest participant in franchise historical past to homer seven instances in a 10-game span. He is the second youngest to achieve double digits in a season, behind solely Fernando Tatis Jr.
Fairly an influence surge for a 21-year-old rookie who, frankly, entered the large leagues with query marks about whether or not he’d have the ability to hit for energy. Nobody ever doubted Merrill’s elite bat-to-ball abilities and his means to spray line drives.
However this type of energy show? This early in his profession?
“It does not shock me,” Padres supervisor Mike Shildt mentioned. “When you have got an environment friendly swing, you develop into your energy. And one of many issues I first evaluated or noticed with Jackson was a man that had a extremely good swing — and an concept the best way to use it. Which could be uncommon, interval. But in addition uncommon at a youthful age.”
And right here’s the essential half: Merrill hasn’t sacrificed every other side of his talent set in an effort to faucet into that energy. He’s nonetheless doing issues like spraying opposite-field singles and dealing 13-pitch at-bats. Merrill completed 3-for-3 with a stroll on Saturday and did each of these issues.
“He is received a great middle-of-the-field strategy, and I believe that is what is going on to make him a great hitter,” hitting coach Victor Rodriguez mentioned previous to the sport. “[Some young players] lose sight of the issues that they do effectively. He hasn’t executed that.”
Rodriguez — a veteran of greater than 4 many years within the recreation — says that individual strategy is effectively past Merrill’s years. It’s an strategy veteran hitters typically wrestle to understand. But Merrill is mashing titanic dwelling runs — and he’s additionally content material to not swing for them.
“If you see a man do this, then you definately begin to fear,” Rodriguez mentioned of Merrill’s homer barrage. “Is that this man going to stay with the ability? Or is he going to get again to staying within the huge a part of the sphere, getting his hits, getting his doubles? Then, once they make errors middle-in, take your possibilities.”
Whereas Merrill is adamant that he’s not doing something new mechanically to entry his energy, he did observe a refined change in mindset. Since his arrival within the huge leagues on Opening Day, he says he’s change into extra conscious of when to promote out for a mistake pitch.
He picked his spot on Saturday — early within the depend, two males aboard, one out.
“I have been studying when to take my pictures and when to not,” Merrill mentioned. “… In that scenario, first and second, you are attempting to drive any person in, not attempting to simply get a little bit single. So I take my shot.”
Positive sufficient, Merrill received a fastball proper down the center from Brewers starter Carlos Rodriguez, and he unloaded. At 440 toes, it was simply the longest dwelling run of his profession within the huge leagues, in response to Statcast. He thinks it was most likely the longest one he’s ever hit. However …
“It don’t matter,” Merrill mentioned. “I don’t suppose I’ve ever checked out distance, as a result of if it goes over the fence, it’s a homer.”
And if it doesn’t? Merrill might be hitting it laborious someplace. Together with his efficiency Saturday, Merrill raised his batting common to .290 and his OPS to .771. He has performed a standout heart area — regardless of having by no means performed the place at any degree previous to this season.
On the midway mark of the Padres season, Merrill is making a robust case for NL Rookie of the Yr, though he appears to really feel the identical approach about that as he does about dwelling run distances.
“I don’t even care about that stuff,” Merrill mentioned not too long ago. “I couldn’t care much less about Rookie of the Yr voting or All-Star voting. I care about our crew proper right here. I care about profitable.”