5 days agoThe San Diego Padres rewarded young outfielder
Jackson Merrill with a nine-year, $135 million contract extension on Wednesday morning, and then he proceeded to go 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a run scored and a strikeout in the 5-2 win over the visiting Cleveland Guardians at Petco Park. Merrill's second home run of the 2025 campaign came off right-hander
Ben Lively and extended the Padres' lead to 4-0 at the time. The 21-year-old seems to be finding barrels every time he swings the lumber in the early going of just his second MLB season, as he entered Wednesday's contest against Cleveland with eight hits in 20 at-bats with six RBI in six games played. In a strong Padres lineup, Merrill's fantasy arrow is pointing firmly up. He was an All-Star and won a Silver slugger award as a rookie in 2023, when he slashed an impressive .292/.326/.500 with 24 homers, 16 steals and 90 RBI in 593 plate appearances.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoThe San Diego Padres have signed outfielder
Jackson Merrill to a nine-year contract extension worth $135 million. The contract can max out at $204 million and includes a $30 million club option for a tenth season, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. Merrill was drafted with the 27th pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Severna Park HS. The 21-year-old made his MLB debut last summer and performed at an elite level, posting a .292/,326/.500 slash line. He tallied 24 long balls with 16 stolen bases. Under the hood, he generated an elite .372 xwOBA, .303 xBA, and a .534 xSLG, which were all well above the average marks. In addition, Merrill was placed in the 97th percentile in range and 90th in arm strength. Fantasy managers should expect Merrill to be the everyday center fielder in San Diego for the next decade. He should continue to be viewed as a high-end OF2 in all fantasy formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Robert Murray
1 week agoSan Diego Padres outfielder
Jackson Merrill went 1-for-3 in the team's 7-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day, with a single and four RBI. He did not walk or strikeout. The 21-year-old got the scoring started for the Friars in the bottom of the first, slapping a single into shallow center field, plating teammates
Fernando Tatis Jr. and
Manny Machado. Though Merrill would not record another hit, he'd knock in Machado again two innings later on a groundout and then once more in the seventh on a sacrifice fly to right. The former first-round pick hit fifth on Thursday and will be afforded many more RBI opportunities while batting in the heart of the Padres' order.
--Alex CiullaSource: ESPN
7 months agoSan Diego Padres rookie outfielder
Jackson Merrill (knee) fouled a ball off his leg (just above his knee) in Friday night's win over the division-rival San Francisco Giants at Petco Park and was replaced in center field by
Tyler Wade due to a left-patellar contusion, according to the team. Before hitting the showers early, Merrill went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the 5-1 victory. The good news for the 21-year-old is that X-rays came back clear on his knee, so fantasy managers can consider him day-to-day heading into Game 2 of the series on Saturday. Don't be surprised if Merrill is out, though. The former 27th overall pick in 2021 has been a huge clutch piece of the Friars' offense in his first year in the big leagues in 2024 and entered Friday's game with a .292/.323/.498 slash line with an .821 OPS, 22 homers, 82 RBI and 16 stolen bases. Merrill is relevant in all fantasy formats and hopefully won't miss too much time.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The San Diego Union-Tribune - Jeff Sanders
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