"The betting odds, Jackson Merrill jumped Paul Skenes" — Sportscaster sees Pirates pitcher's NL Rookie of the Year hopes dimmed by Padres outfielder

Jackson Merrill, the San Deigo Padres rookie, has been making headlines as one of the top contenders for the NL Rookie of the Year this season. It became more sensational when he crossed the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes in betting odds on winning the award.

According to sports betting expert Ben Fawkes on Wednesday, Merrill's odds shifted significantly at FanDuel Sportsbook, with Merrill now listed at -120, surpassing Skenes, who sits at -105. On Thursday, the trend continued at ESPN BET, where Merrill was favored at -170, with Skenes trailing at +120.

In the 897th episode of “Talkin’ Baseball,” host Jake "Rocky" Storiale and former Minnesota Twins slugger Trevor Plouffe shared their excitement about Merrill’s standout performance.

“Trev, I saw a kid early on this year that I was like, ‘Wait, he can do everything’, (that was) Jackson Merrill,” Storiale said. [Timestamp: 1:28:41]

“Jackson Merrill, bro this kid we found out on the Korea trip he's going and we're like, OK, Padres got another shortstop, not playing shortstop that they're going to have play center field. This year remember how much we talked about the Padres need a lefty stick?”

“Jackson Merrill just took over the favorite for NL Rookie of the Year over Paul Skenes. Bro, he did the betting odds, he snubbed Paul Skenes,” he added.

Merrill and Skenes received their first All-Star invitation this year, further intensifying the NL RoY race.

Jackson Merrill’s defense versatility earns praise from MLB podcaster

Growing up playing centerfielder, Rocky felt that Merrill had made that position natural to him. He added that it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Padres rookie playing SS next season, offering the team more defensive flexibility.

“This 21-year-old kid is playing center field like he's born there um and I don't I don't even know the next steps with them like we could see him starting at shortstop for the Padre's next year,” he added.

Merrill is playing with a stat line of .288/.318/.484 with an OPS of .803, scoring 64 runs, 71 RBIs and 18 home runs in 125 games. While he hasn’t been assigned to any infield position yet, the Padres might consider giving him a shot as they push for postseason participation with their 72-57 record, four-and-a-half games behind the NL West Divison leader LA Dodgers (77-52).