San Diego, CA

Bryce Miller: Questions answered, Padres send entire outfield to All-Star Game

Published

2 years ago

July 7, 2024

Press Room

Bryce Miller: Questions answered, Padres send entire outfield to All-Star Game

Far out, this Padres outfield.

Who could have predicted the entire group, from foul line to foul line, would be named to the All-Star Game?

How is it possible — fathomable — that the biggest collective question mark on the team as spring sprung would become its muscle-flexing strength?

As shadows began to creep across the left field-side sections of Petco Park on Sunday, fans learned that rookie center fielder Jackson Merrill would join National League starters Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr..

Rewind to the early months of 2024, when the hand-wringing over the outfield left those hands red and raw. Sure, Profar seemed like a versatile depth option, but he couldn’t be the everyday left fielder.

Right?

Was President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller really going to roll a set of oversized dice on Merrill in center, a premium position with a guy who had played just 46 games in Double-A … without a sniff of Triple-A?

And even though Tatis won a platinum glove during his debut in right, he still was more wired to play shortstop.

It did not seem like an outfield plan as much as a stab in the dark after a few too many spiked eggnogs at the company Christmas party. It came off as survival mode in a season where the Padres were counting pennies as competitive balance tax penalties loomed like storm clouds.

Then a funny thing happened on the way to simply getting by. Profar hit and hit and hit some more. As soon as he settled into his cleats, Merrill began to do the same.

All-Stars in the outfield? More like an outfield full of All-Stars.

“No one was seeing that necessarily at the beginning,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said.

Um, no. They weren’t.

It’s hard to know whether to start cutting a bonus check for Preller’s fine footwork or write it off as being cornered by options and economics, shrugging shoulders at how it all worked out.

No one was saying, “Man, the Padres have the best outfield in baseball.” It was more like, “The Padres have an outfield. Maybe. For now.”

Instead of white hot, the consensus had been to brace for a white-knuckler.

FanGraphs’s overarching metric of a player’s total worth, wins above replacement (WAR), has the Padres’ trio ranked Nos. 6-8 in baseball.

The Yankees claim the top two with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, but no team has an entire group ranked anywhere close.

Not only did the Padres put together an outfield, they assembled three guys who became so dependable, so bankable as a unit — Tatis injury pending — that it buoys hope this team might have enough to reach the playoffs.

Those question marks became exclamation points.

“It’s pretty cool,” Merrill said of the entire outfield making the game. “I think definitely ‘Tati’ and ‘Pro’ really deserved it. I’m really appreciative that they took me under their wings. It kind of made me more comfortable and able to play the way I have.”

Jurickson Profar celebrates a first-inning home run against the Diamondbacks. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Pick the more improbable storyline.

Is it Profar, an All-Star for the first time in his 11th season? His .408 on-base percentage leads the entire National League. His .906 OPS is the best of his career.

Profar’s average OPS+, part of the analytics soup that compares players to an average big leaguer, with 100 being the baseline, has been a 97. This season? A head-shaking 155.

The career batting average of .245 has ballooned to .315.

He was, as bizarre as it now seems, sitting unsigned in February. At $1 million plus bonuses, he became baseball’s equivalent of a winning Powerball ticket.

Or is it Merrill, the guy who climbed on a rocketship and zoomed past Triple-A, barely 21, who made the toughest leap in the game without as much as a hiccup?

Merrill began Sunday at No. 3 in baseball for home runs since June 12 (9), fifth in slugging and tied for in extra-base hits. Just-hitting-stride type of stuff.

The confidence, the swagger, the production while holding down the toughest and trickiest outfield spot astounds daily. A season ago, he was in the Futures Game … as a shortstop. The future came fast.

When Tatis returns to the lineup, the group could become a high-performance engine, not an afterthought.

“‘Pro’ was out there for a lot of clubs to sign and signed late …,” Shildt said. “(Merrill had) a little bit of time in Double-A, Triple-A’s a rumor, comes here and immediately changes positions in spring training and goes and makes an All-Star team.

“That’s pretty special.”

It’s the first time in franchise history that the Padres placed three outfielders in the All-Star Game. Merrill became the first Padres rookie to make the cut and will be the youngest player in the game at Arlington, Texas.

The last time players this young made teams, it was 2013 with Bryce Harper, Jose Fernandez and current teammate Manny Machado.

When Merrill’s selection was announced at Petco, he offered an understated wave from the dugout rail.

“The buy-in,” said second baseman Jake Cronenworth, a two-time All-Star himself. “Sometimes guys get moved to position where they might not be comfortable, but he’s gone out and made a point to get better every night and put himself in position to succeed.

“In spring training, from Day 1 when he got there, it seemed like he wasn’t upset about it. He wanted to go out there and the best center fielder his possibly could.

“It’s just his maturity, the way he works every day. Your age doesn’t matter. When you show up and put the time in, you get rewarded for that.”

Merrill finally relented, admitting a bit of satisfaction.

But only a bit.

“Everybody kind of went crazy,” Merrill said of the news, which was shared during a team meeting. “And I was like, sitting there, smiling. It was really surreal. Just kind of take it in for a sec, but I’m just grateful for everyone around me.”

When Merrill looks to his left and his right, can you blame him?

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San Diego, CA

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: May 2026 | San Diego Magazine

Published

2 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: May 2026 | San Diego Magazine

When we think of May, we think of Mother’s Day, blooming flowers, sunny skies, and lots of fun, seasonal events in the city. This month, locals can dine on the creations of James Beard Award-Winning Chefs at Rancho Bernardo Inn, or take advantage of berry season at the annual Vista Strawberry Festival. Theatre lovers can enjoy a showing of Kim’s Convenience at The Old Globe, while the San Diego Natural History Museum invites art enthusiasts to view its latest marine-themed exhibit. Grab your tickets and crack open that planner. Here are all the best things to do in San Diego this month:

Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do

Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Month

29

Louisiana legend Juvenile, enhances by the live instrumentation of The 400 Degreez Band, will perform career hits and his newest album, Boiling Point, at House of Blues San Diego.

Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz

Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Month

5/5–6/1

Turning the spotlight on contemporary LGBTQ artists, the inaugural ArtSpectrum 2026 will showcase both the grand and intimate scale of contemporary painters, photographers, and mixed media artists at Village Arts Outreach in Balboa Park.

12–24

The only ordinary element of the San Diego International Fringe Festival is the constant thrill of the extraordinary. Discover a plethora of innovative performances at venues from Pacific Beach to Baja.

5/15–6/14

A Korean-Canadian family balances tradition and assimilation from their Toronto storefront in Ins Choi’s comforting satire Kim’s Convenience, making its local premier at The Old Globe.

5/22–2/2027

Ocean debris will receive a new beginning at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Using repurposed pollution, Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea depicts creatively sculpted marine life.

More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month

4/30–5/3

Enjoy fine dining at its finest from a lineup of gastronomic titans during 54 Hours with James Beard Award-Winning Chefs. Savor elegant meals, masterclasses, tastings, and more at Rancho Bernardo Inn.

2

Unlimited bites, regional craft beers, and animal observations are on the menu for San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew (with live music), a culinary evening in support of the San Diego Wildlife Alliance.

7

Spend An Evening with David Sedaris, humorist, essayist, and best-selling author. Never afraid to point the pen at himself, Sedaris will share old favorites and works in progress in the classic satirical style he’s known for at Jacobs Music Center.

15–17

Say cheese! And toast to the Cheese & Libation Expo. Explore three days of all-you-can eat and drink fare at BRICK, along with boutique shopping and bountiful pairings.

PARTNER CONTENT

10 Years In, Puffer and Malarkey Are Just Getting Started

Elevating an Icon: Inside the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Clu…

16

Stroll the private grounds of several luxurious homes, accompanied by live music, tabletop designs, and outdoor artistry, during the Secret Garden Tour, La Jolla Historical Society‘s flora and fauna fundraiser.

24

Vista recalls its days as a strawberry-producing superpower through its free Strawberry Festival. Wear your berry best fit, watch film screenings, and enter contests for shortcake, pie, and sundae indulging.

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San Diego, CA

City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness

Published

14 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness

Last week Mayor Todd Gloria released the budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal budget. Protected homeless services is among his top priorities mentioned in the proposal. However, some of the reductions he’s proposing could impact thousands of San Diegans experiencing homelessness.

Located on 17^th and K Street, the Neil Good Day Center offers an array of services to nearly seven thousand people experiencing homelessness. The services include giving them a place to shower and do laundry, and connecting them to a case manager, among others.

“These are critical services that are helping people off the streets, but really better their lives and their health and their employment situation as well,” Deacon Vargas with Father Joe’s Villages said.

Deacon Jim Vargas heads Father Joe’s Villages, which runs the center. He said through their prevention and diversion strategies, they’ve managed to keep nearly one thousand individuals from falling into homelessness.

“So by helping them pay rent, or helping them with their utilities, or helping them to reunite with family,” Vargas said.

Right now, the city allocates at least $850,000 per year to the Neil Good Day Center, according to Vargas.

But the future and funding for these services are in limbo because of Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget cuts.

“The impact to those whom we’ve been serving the Daily Center would be very severe,” Deacon Vargas said.

In a statement to NBC 7, Mayor Todd Gloria said in part, “We must find more efficient and cost-effective ways to address this crisis and prioritize funding for programs that provide shelter beds and maximize resources to programs that place people into permanent housing.”

Since it’s still at a proposal stage, Deacon Vargas said it’s unclear how the city will decide to move forward.

However, Deacon Vargas said services would be significantly reduced because they would be forced to operate solely on a budget of about half a million dollars they receive from philanthropy.

“The hours would be cut. Some days would be cut. We would have showers that might be impacted because they’re given seven days a week and we’d close two days a week, then the showers would be five days a week, the case management,” Deacon Vargas said.

Deacon Vargas is certain of one thing.

He would like to continue offering services at the Day Center, even if the city goes through with the funding cuts.

“As we work with individuals at the Day Center and at Father Joe’s Villages, the community becomes healthier as a result of it,” Deacon Vargas said.

The budget also recommends additional cuts to homeless services, but does not give specifics as to where those cuts would be.

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