Jackson Merrill was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 19, 2003. He played high school baseball at Severna Park High School in Severna Park, MD. He was the first-ranked shortstop and the fourth-ranked overall player in Maryland. Merrill hit .458 with 22 hits, six doubles, one home run, 14 RBI, and 16 runs scored. He also had seven stolen bases. Defensively, he had 35 putouts and two assists and did not record an error. Merrill was ranked the 26th shortstop in the country and the 96th-ranked overall player. He committed to play college baseball at the University of Kentucky.
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Jackson Merrill Draft
Merrill was the 79th-ranked prospect entering the 2021 draft. However, he was selected with the 27th overall pick by the San Diego Padres. He signed a contract instead of attending Kentucky.
Jackson Merrill Padres Tenure
2021
Merrill, after getting drafted, would play for the Padres rookie ball team playing in 31 games, and he slashed .280/.339/.383 with a .722 OPS; he had seven doubles, two triples, ten RBI, 19 runs scored, five stolen bases, and ten walks.
2022
Merrill played across two levels playing in rookie ball and Single-A Lake Elsinore, and he slashed .339/.395/.511 with a .906 OPS. He had 13 doubles. There were four triples and six home runs. Merrill also had 40 RBI, 38 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, and 20 walks in 55 games. He played in the Arizona Fall League with Peoria, appearing in 22 games and slashed .261/.316/.352 with a .669 OPS; he had one double, two triples, one home run, ten RBI, 16 runs scored, two stolen bases, and eight walks.
2023
Merrill started the season ranked by Baseball America as the 22nd overall prospect and 19th by MLB.com. He played at High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio, playing in 114 games, and he slashed .277/.326/.444 with a .770 OPS; he had 25 doubles, four triples, 15 home runs, 64 RBI, 76 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, and 35 walks. He also played in the future’s game, going 0-2.
2024
Merrill ranked as the 17th overall prospect by Baseball America and 12th by MLB Pipeline. In 156 games with the Padres he hit .292 with a .826 OPS. Merrill had 31 doubles, six triples, 24 home runs, 90 RBI, and 77 runs scored. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. He also finished ninth in MVP voting. Additionally, he was an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger.
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