Jackson Merrill Is the National League Rookie of the Year So Far

Paul Skenes is getting the headlines, but Merrill is having the better season.

Aug 10, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) celebrates a two-run home run to tie the game in the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

A few weeks ago, conventional wisdom held Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes winning National League Rookie of the Year in a walkover. Jackson Merrill has entered the chat.

Over the past month, Merrill has been at the heart of the San Diego Padres' surge that has seen them win 16 of 20 games since the All-Star break and position themselves as one of Major League Baseball's most dangerous teams. All along the way, their 21-year-old rookie has been in the middle, coming up with clutch hits and playing stellar defense.

Skenes has been phenomenal since debuting on May 11. He has gone 6-2 with a 2.25 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, and 115 strikeouts against 20 walks in 92 innings pitched. The 22-year-old was a deserving pick to start the All-Star game. The righty is brilliant and his starts have become must-watch events. But Merrill has been consistent since opening the season as San Diego's starting center fielder as a 20-year-old.

Merrill enters Monday's action hitting .291, with 17 home runs, 19 doubles, 61 RBIs, and an OPS of .806. His fWAR of 3.4 ranks 20th in the National League -- Skenes is 37th at 2.6. Merrill leads all NL rookie regulars in hits (118), home runs, slugging (.483), and RBIs and is second in runs (59) and wRC+ (126). The crazy part is that Merrill seems to be getting better as the season goes on.

Since the All-Star break, Merrill is hitting .347 and slugging .693 with an OPS of 1.070. He has five home runs, seven doubles, two triples and 18 RBIs. During his current seven-game hitting streak, he's been even better, hitting .407 with an OPS of 1.469 and four home runs.

Merrill hasn't just been really good, he has also been clutch. As Sarah Langs noted, Merrill has five game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the eighth inning or later this season. That's tied with Mel Ott for the second-most in a season at age 21 or younger since 1900. Only Frank Robinson had more (six) in 1956. When you're getting named in the same sentence as Ott and Robinson, you're doing something right. On the Padres' recent road trip, Merrill went deep in the eighth or ninth inning three times in four days. San Diego came back to win each game.

JACKSON MERRILL. HE'S DONE IT AGAIN IN THE 9TH INNING. 🗣️

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/ktdxAUNM1o

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 10, 2024

If that's not enough, The Athletic's Dennis Lin pointed out that according to FanGraphs, Merrill entered Sunday's game fifth in the majors in OPS and second in wRC+ in high-leverage situations. When the Padres have needed a big hit, their rookie has often come through.

It's worth noting, Merrill has done all of this offensively while also playing a new position. He was drafted as a shortstop and played there throughout his minor league career. His move to center was sudden in spring training and he has taken to it, looking like a natural at the position. That's after playing only five games in the outfield in 200 minor league games over three seasons. What he's doing is remarkable.

Skenes is an incredible talent and he'll continue to garner headlines as he makes hitters look silly with his 100-plus mph fastball and ridiculous wipeout slider. But Merrill has put together the better season at this point, and he's done it for a playoff team.

The debate over Merrill and Skenes is likely to rage until the final day of the regular season, but at this point it's hard not to give the edge to the Padres' young star.