Jackson Merrill Open to Returning to Shortstop for Padres

Maren Angus-Coombs | Oct 11, 2024

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

With Ha-Seong Kim out for the rest of the postseason due to season-ending shoulder surgery, and now having hired super agent Scott Boras, the chances of either side picking up his $8 million mutual option for 2024 have dropped significantly.

Which leaves the San Diego Padres with options for their starting shortstop next season.

The Padres have shortstops all over the field. Fernando Tatis Jr. played there before Xander Bogaerts came to San Diego and Jackson Merrill was drafted as a shortstop before converting into an outfielder. Even Jake Cronenworth has experience on the left side of the infield.

Bogaerts was the obvious choice to replace Kim in the interim but out of the other, Merrill is the only one who has been taking ground balls in the infield recently.

Players often field grounders to stay sharp, especially baseball enthusiasts like Merrill. He’s not ruling anything out, but...

“I just take them there now for fun, just keep my hands kind of smooth and keep my footwork kind of good,” Merrill said. “But whatever happens, happens. If they want to throw me back in the infield I’m ready. At the same time, I’m happy where I’m at.”

FIRST CAREER #POSTSEASON HOME RUN FOR JACKSON MERRILL! #NLDS pic.twitter.com/8GJvefuScY

— MLB (@MLB) October 7, 2024

In his rookie season, Merrill posted a .292 batting average with 24 home runs, delivering an impressive .888 OPS after the All-Star break. Despite being new to center field, a position he only started playing this February, he quickly made an impact.

He might be young and inexperienced but his teammates recognize the talent and maturity.

“Man, that guy is different,” shortstop Xander Bogaerts said after the Padres evened their National League Division Series in Game 2 with a 10-2 win. “It ain’t luck. It ain’t pretending. He knows he’s a bad dude, and he feels it, and he believes it, and that’s who he is.”

“This guy is so much better than me at that age,” Bogaerts added. “And what’s even more special is seeing him do it in a whole major league season. … I mean, this guy started off hitting at the bottom of the lineup. You could probably say he can hit third or fourth in our lineup. Credit to the guy. That’s just how good he is and how hard he’s worked.”

Or, as Peralta said: “He doesn’t look like a 21-year-old. He looks like a veteran, the way he plays,” Peralta said. “It’s hard to believe it’s only his first year and he’s only 21 years old. And he’s got a great, long career ahead of him.”