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Former New York Mets General Manager Steve Phillips raised questions about Jackson Merrill's selection over veterans such as Jose Altuve, Manny Machado, William Contreras and more on MLB Network's Top 100 Players Right Now rankings.
Coming off an NL Rookie of the Year runner-up season, Merrill was ranked No. 24 on the list. Meanwhile, Contreras, Machado and Altuve took up the No. 28, 29 and 30 spots, respectively.
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During a segment on "MLB Network", Phillips argued that it's too early to give the San Diego Padres rising star his flowers.
"No, no, I disagree," Phillips said. "Look, I think he's — to your point — I think he's a good player. I like him a lot. But if next year he hits 18 home runs, bats .270, and has a .320 on-base percentage, I'm not going to be shocked by it. And his story is a great story, which has kind of boosted his rise up the board I think, because he went from shortstop to center field.
"That's an amazing transition, but it ultimately comes down to production. He was a 4.4 WAR player, which is good, but he's not going to lead the league in home runs. He's not going to lead the league in runs scored. He's a good player, but I don't see him as an elite player," he added.
Another MLB analyst finds Jackson Merrill at No. 24 "spot on"
Contrary to what Steve Phillips believes, according to Cliff Floyd, Jackson Merrill coming in at No. 24 in the top 100 right now rankings is "spot on":
"It's aggressive, but it's right on. It's spot on."
He supported his argument with numbers:
"When you think about the first 63 games: Fastball: .315; Non-fastball: .210; Last 93 games: Fastball: .321; Non-fastball: .296. So what I’m saying is—it's all about the adjustment to the adjustment," Floyd said.
"The league is always going to challenge you based on what they see you can’t do. The book is out on you. But when you look at these numbers on the board, it speaks to him knowing exactly who he is," he added.
It's just one season, but Jackson Merrill is already turning heads with his hitting display in 2024.
