"Jackson Merrill over Jackson Chourio" - Justin Verlander's brother ranks Paul Skenes & Brewers OF behind Padres star with premium position argument

Ben Verlander prefers Jackson Merrill to Jackson Chourio and Paul Skenes
Ben Verlander prefers Jackson Merrill to Jackson Chourio and Paul Skenes

Jackson Merrill, Jackson Chourio, and Paul Skenes are all examples of the outstanding field of MLB freshmen seen around the NL this season. However, at least one MLB analyst believes that the former stands alone.

In a recent edition of his podcast, Flippin' Bats, Ben Verlander, brother of Justin, explored the rookie talent in the NL. Hypothetically, Verlander pondered which of Merrill, Chourio and Skenes he would select to start a new franchise with. Though he lauded each individual's talents, Verlander knew his pick, saying:

"The conversation becomes, who are you taking? For me, the answer is you're taking Jackson Merrill... He plays an elite, up the middle position, I've loved his approach at the plate since I saw him in the Korea Series. I love that he's a left-handed hitter, and has some pop"

Verlander first compared Jackson Merrill of the Padres to Milwaukee Brewers rookie Jackson Chourio. Although Verlander conceded that both youngsters represent superlative talent, he claimed that Merrill's left-handed power-hitting abilities appear preferable.

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In 146 games this season, Merrill is hitting .290/.322/.504 with 24 home runs and 86 RBI. Chourio, by comparison, is a .273/.329/.474 hitter with 21 home runs and 77 RBI.

After his contrasting of Merrill and Chourio, Verlander then compared Merrill to Paul Skenes. Skenes, just 22, is 10-2 with a 2.10 ERA as a Pittsburgh Pirates rookie this season. However, Verlander still picked Merrill as the anchor of his hypothetical dream team:

"For me, it comes down to... I think I'm taking Jackson Merrill... because he's playing everyday. I just think I want the player that plays every single day to be on his team"

Although Verlander claimed that Skenes is likely a future Hall of Famer, he claimed that he prefers the San Diego Padres rookie because he plays everyday. Verlander continued to claim that offense is the place where team-building begins.

Jackson Merrill continues to build his NL Rookie of the Year case

On Saturday, Merill connected for his 26th and 27th doubles of the season against the San Francisco Giants. As such, the 21-year-old surpassed former Friars Nate Colbert and Benito Santiago for the most extra-base hits by a rookie in franchise history.

Having made the Opening Day roster, Merrill has a full season of performance to be evaluated by. Although the NL certainly holds an array of young talent, few, if any, appear likely to edge out the Padres outfielder for rookie honors.

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Edited by Adrian Dorney
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