Padres' Michael King In Awe of Jackson Merrill's Early Success in Outfield

Jackson Merrill gets praise from Michael King after making a spectacular play in the outfield.

Apr 6, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Padres rookie shortstop turned center fielder Jackson Merrill has been a welcome addition to the club this year. At just 20 years old, Merrill has impressed both at the plate and in the field.

Teammate, and new Padre, Michael King expressed praise for the rookie after Friday's victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers

“Thankfully, I knew it wasn’t a home run,” King said of Ohtani’s second-inning line drive. “But then when I turned around and saw the outfielder positioning, I was like, ‘Oh, (Merrill’s) got a long way to go to get there.’ A kid that has never really played the outfield, it’s insane to watch him succeed as well as he is.”

In his first year at the major league level, Merrill has shown the approach and plate discipline of many veterans. He's played in all 17 games this season and is slashing .300/.397/.400. Merrill has also struck out only 11 times and walked eight times.

The Padres knew what they had in Merrill early in spring training. However, they had to find somewhere to play him defensively since they already had their middle infield set up with Xander Bogaerts and Ha-Seong Kim.

Their solution was to move him to center field - another highly important defensive position. This is the first time Merrill has played the outfield and it looks completely natural to him.

He currently owns a perfect fielding percentage and has not committed an error. Furthermore, according to Statcast, Merrill ranks in the 88th percentile in outs above-average.

While possibly flying very under the radar, Merrill has quickly staked his claim for National League Rookie of the Year.