Jackson Merrill’s remarkable rookie season has been one highlight after another. Now the Severna Park High graduate’s meteoric rise has been rewarded with a trip to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
On Sunday, it was announced that Merrill had made the National League All-Star team as a reserve position player. The San Diego Padres’ center fielder will be the youngest player on either roster for the 2024 edition of the Midsummer Classic, being held July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
At 21 years and 88 days old, Merrill could be the youngest player to appear in the game since 2013 when current San Diego teammate Manny Machado did so along with Bryce Harper and José Fernández. Others who have played in an All-Star Game at a younger age than Merrill are Mike Trout, Miguel Cabrera, Alex Rodriguez, Iván Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr.
“Full excitement,” Merrill said of being one of five Padres going to the All-Star Game. “The team’s happy for us. That’s the big part for us. No matter who’s going, who’s not, everybody’s behind each other, happy for each other.”
San Diego’s entire starting outfield will be represented in the All-Star game with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jurickson Profar being announced as starters Wednesday via fan vote. Merrill, infielder Luis Arráez and closer Robert Suárez were added as a result of player voting.
Merrill is the first rookie in San Diego Padres history to earn an invitation to the Midsummer Classic. It was well deserved as the left-handed swinger is slashing .288/.322/.452 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs. He also has 10 stolen bases and 40 runs scored while providing sterling defense in center field.
“Cool,” was Merrill’s one-word response when asked how it felt to be joining Tatis and Profar as outfielders on the NL roster. “I’ve known I’ve been playing between two All-Stars in our outfield all season, so that’s not really a surprise.”
While Merrill downplayed the honor, teammates recognized the rarity of being named an All-Star as a 21-year-old rookie.
“That’s incredible,” said Profar, who is a first-time All-Star at age 31. “This guy’s only 21 years old and he’s doing amazing things in the big leagues.”
Over the past month, Merrill has emerged as a legitimate National League Rookie of the Year candidate. He was named NL Rookie of the Month for June after hitting .320 (33-for-103) with nine homers, 20 RBIs, seven doubles and 17 runs scored. He posted a .650 slugging percentage and .346 on-base percentage in 28 games.
Merrill’s 33 hits were the most in one month by a San Diego player aged 21 or younger since Tatis had 36 in August 2020. Merrill homered in three straight games June 12-15 — a hot stretch that began with his first multi-homer game against Oakland.
“That was June and it’s July now, so we have to keep playing good baseball and winning games,” Merrill said of the Rookie of the Month honor.
San Diego manager Mike Shildt informed Merrill of his All-Star status during a pregame team meeting on Sunday. Musgrove said the other players were especially excited for the unassuming rookie.
“Lots of love. It was like the biggest response from a team for somebody getting selected,” Musgrove said of the clubhouse reveal. “Everyone was showing the way they felt about it. It was one of the most exciting ones I’ve seen.”
Added Arráez: “I was happy when I saw [Merrill’s] face. I thought he was going to cry. He deserves it.”
Severna Park native Jackson Merrill has impressed Padres ‘from the very beginning’
San Diego selected Merrill in the first round of the 2021 MLB draft with the 27th overall pick and he signed directly out of Severna Park for a $1.8 million bonus. He was selected as a shortstop and played that position with the Arizona Complex Rookie League Padres in 2021 and Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm in 2022.
Merrill was still a shortstop when he opened the 2023 season with the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps and through his promotion to Double-A San Antonio.
However, Padres management made a bold decision by moving Merrill to center field during spring training to see if he was capable of replacing two-time Gold Glove winner Trent Grisham, who was traded to the New York Yankees.
Shildt called Merrill’s recognition as Rookie of the Month for June “well deserved” and said the rookie has consistently displayed “a maturity beyond his years” throughout this season.
“He’s very humble, authentic. That’s a big part of who he is. Merrill is really sincere about team performance over his performance,” Shildt said. “We win, he’s happy. If he gets his knocks, great. But he wants the club to do well and he wants to contribute, which he certainly is.
“He clearly has the skills to play at this level. He’s got the right approach, the right work ethic. And then, when things get a little challenging, and this game is very challenging whether you’re hitting the ball at people or whatever the case may be … he’s got this wonderful ability to regroup and stay within himself and get back to an approach that is clear about who he is as a player. And then be able to execute it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
