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Jackson Merrill has led the San Diego Padres lineup this season. Now he's an actual contender for the National League Rookie of the Year award, a title many expect Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes to win. This has led to discussions within the MLB analysts' circle, with some favoring Merrill as an outright winner.
On the Baseball Today show hosted by Chris Rose, ex-Twins player Trevor Plouffe discussed the Padres outfielder's efforts. He said that since Skenes was only brought in by the Pirates in the middle of the season, Jackson Merrill is a frontrunner.
"I'm giving it to Jackson because number one, he's been up all year. He's had an incredible year, he leads rookies in pretty much every single category offensively. He learned a new position at the big level and he's doing it on one of the best teams in all of baseball," Plouffe said.
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Merrill leads all rookies in hits, RBIs and slugging percentage. He has an OPS of .805 and a WAR of 3.7, which is 1.1 higher than Skenes, the next-best NL rookie. How he contributes is also noteworthy. Against the Twins on Monday, Merrill hit a bases-clearing double in the third inning on a 0-2 count that propelled the team to a 5-3 win.
Jackson Merrill hailed as MVP of the team by Michael King
After the victory over the Twins at Petco Park, Merrill's teammate Michael King talked about the center fielder's youthful exuberance.
“He’s 21 years old. Everything he does is baseball," King said (via MLB.com). "It’s not like he has a family that he goes home to and kids that he goes and talks to. He gets to the field, and he’s so happy to be here and talks about how we’re all his best friends and we’re just having fun," King said.
With the Padres sitting atop the National League Wild Card race, Merrill is expected to make a playoff appearance. His contributions will become even more vital from hereon, and if he can continue in the same form, then Paul Skenes for NL ROY will become an afterthought.
