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San Diego Padres star Jackson Merrill and Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes were the two finalists in the NL Cy Young race alongside Milwaukee Brewers slugger Jackson Chourio. Much to the shock of the Friars, Skenes came out as the winner, receiving 23 of the possible first-place votes over Merrill, who came second and received the seven remaining first-place votes.
While no doubt both had an exceptional rookie season, the people in San Diego don't consider Skenes the NL Rookie of the Year. And it’s showing up in the most unexpected places — like on a "road sign" near Petco Park.
On Sunday, a hilarious and creative edit of a highway sign leading to Petco Park surfaced on social media, proclaiming it as the home of "MerrillMania" and boldly declaring Merrill as the real 2024 NL Rookie of the Year.
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The image, which went viral after being posted by FOX Sports MLB (@MLBONFOX), humorously suggested that Merrill is the top rookie in the National League above Paul Skenes, who actually won the award. The caption from Fox read:
"This is a real road sign on the way to Petco Park 😂."
Why people think Jackson Merrill should have won NL ROY over Paul Skenes
One reason why many thought Jackson Merrill deserved to win the NL Rookie of the Year award was the number of games he played. The outfielder played 156 of the possible 162 games, as he finished the season hitting .292/.326/.500 with an OPS of .826 and 4.4 WAR. He had 24 home runs and 94 RBIs as well.
In contrast, Skenes didn't pitch in the majors before May. However, once he arrived in the majors, no other starting pitcher had as many quality starts as he did from that point to the end of the regular season. In the process, not only did the Pirates ace earn the All-Star nod, but he also earned the role of being an NL All-Star starter despite being just a rookie.
Skenes finished the season, going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, 170 strikeouts and 0.95 WHIP.
Several have spoken about who deserved more. While Jackson Merrill did play most of the games but because Paul Skenes is a starting pitcher, he can't help but get on the mound every fifth day.
