Padres Rookie Jackson Merrill Likes Team’s Chances in October

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jul 17, 2024

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Former San Diego Padres starting pitcher Jake Peavy was beaming with pride while interviewing rookie sensation Jackson Merrill on MLB Network during batting practice before the All-Star Game on Tuesday at Globe Life Field.

Merrill couldn't stop smiling either, as he soaked up every second of his first All-Star Game.

The rookie said his first time at the Midsummer Classic "has been awesome." He got to meet a lot of new people that he had played against but never talked to.

"We've got culture. We've got a lot of family in the clubhouse."

- Jackson Merrill on why the @Padres will make noise in the Postseason 👀 pic.twitter.com/pNw4Bf4Vhf

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 16, 2024

The center fielder has become a cog in the Padres machine that is heading towards a surprising postseason berth, despite having Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish on the injured list for most of the season. Outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. doesn't have a return timetable, either.

However, Merrill believes his team will clinch at least a Wild Card spot. The Padres are currently seven games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and are one game back of the third Wild Card.

"We've got culture," Merrill told Peavy. "We got a lot of family in the clubhouse. We got a lot of people that have a lot of other people's backs. We're there to fight everyday for each other and that's really important on the team."

Culture won't be enough to get the Padres over the hump. But considering some of the postmortems written about the culture within the 2023 club, these quotes are a refreshing change of pace.