"Jackson Merrill is a nugget" - MLB analyst compares Padres rookie's stat to Luis Arraez, Yordan Alvarez, hailing San Diego's decision

San Diego Padres rookie slugger Jackson Merrill is receiving praise from all corners ahead of the NL Rookie of the Year announcement that MLB will make on Monday. It's down to Merrill, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes and Milwaukee Brewers star Jackson Chourio.

On Sunday's MLB Network show, Tom Verducci highlighted the fearless approach of the Padres while analyzing a few in-season clips. Adding more to the conversation was analyst Greg Amsinger, who mentioned Merrill's batting average on the road, just behind teammate Luis Arraez and Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez.

"Third highest batting average in the sport on the road—only Luis Arraez or Yordan Alvarez were ahead of him," Amsinger said. "That's a nugget. It shows, 'I'll hit anywhere I get to.' And kudos to the Padres' front office for letting this kid play, 'cause he was a kid.

"People were saying, 'He can't hit against lefties.' Let him improve. He worked his way up the lineup the more and more he improved. He really improved—hitting .314 at the All-Star break."

Jackson Merrill faces stiff competition vs. Paul Skenes for NL Rookie of the Year

When the clock hits 6 pm ET on Monday, the world will know who between Jackson Merrill and Paul Skenes turns up as the winner. While major betting websites suggest it will be a Pittsburgh Pirates rookie, Merrill has also impressed in his own right.

Having featured in 156 games, the Padres slugger led all rookies in fWAR (5.3), hits (162), extra-base hits (61), RBIs (90), batting average (.292) and slugging percentage (.500). He's tied with 24 home runs in that rookie stat category.

While his numbers alone are impressive, another thing that makes him stand out is his clutch hitting display, which saw him hitting five game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning or later.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, since Paul Skenes made his debut in May, no major league pitcher was as good as him. He even earned the nod to start the All-Star game, which is a rare sight. The Pirates ace has an edge over Merrill in WAR (10.2 for Skenes and 9.7 for Merrill).

This goes along well with the fact that no Live Ball Era rookie pitcher has made as many starts as him (23) and posted a lower ERA (1.96). Moreover, he led the National League in ERA, strikeouts per nine innings (11.5), walks and hits per nine innings (0.95) and strikeout rate minus walk rate (26.8%).

It remains to be seen whether Jackson Merrill becomes the first Padres rookie since Benito Santiago in 1987 to win the honor.