San Diego, CA

Padres roster review: Jackson Merrill

Published

1 year ago

January 24, 2025

Press Room

Padres roster review: Jackson Merrill – San Diego Union-Tribune

JACKSON MERRILL

Position(s): Center field
Bats / Throws: Left / Right
2025 opening day age: 21
Height / Weight: 6-foot-3 / 195 pounds
How acquired: 1st round in 2021 (Severna Park HS, Md)
Contract status: Will not be arbitration-eligible until 2027
fWAR in 2024: 5.3
Key 2024 stats: .292 avg., .326 OBP, .500 SLG, 24 HRs, 90 RBIs, 77 runs, 29 walks, 101 strikeouts, 16 steals (156 games, 593 plate appearances)

STAT TO NOTE

.945 — Merrill’s OPS in 61 games after the All-Star break, 200 points above his first-half mark. Merrill paired 12 homers and 46 RBIs with a .278/.310/.435 batting line over 95 games to earn an All-Star invitation and then upped his game with 12 more homers and a .314/.349/.596 batting line as the Padres went 43-20 after the break to wrap up the NL’s top wild-card spot.

Up — Before selecting Merrill with the 27th overall pick in 2021, the Padres’ first pick of the draft had been entrenched inside the top-10 since 2016. The industry saw Merrill as a pop-up prospect, but the Padres were confident in their homework on him coming out of the pandemic and were rewarded when Merrill developed into a prospect that ranked as high as No. 12 in MLB.com’s top-100 heading into the 2024 season. He was still a shortstop at that point, but that didn’t stop the Padres, ever creative under Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller, from giving him a look in left field and then in center in spring training. Merrill looked like a natural in the grass and hit .333/.378/.548 in a Cactus League to force his way onto the opening day roster and into the lineup for the Seoul Series. At 20 years and 336 days old, only Ken Griffey Jr. (19 years, 133 days in 1989 and 20 years, 139 days in 1990) and Don Hahn (20 years, 143 days in 1969) were younger than Merrill while starting in center field on opening day in the divisional era. Merrill went on to collect two hits in his second game and hold his own in April (.696 OPS). After a cold May (.656 OPS), he hit .320/.346/.651 in June as the NL Rookie of the Month. That helped catapult Merrill toward a spot on the NL’s All-Star team, but a second NL Rookie of the Month push in August was part of a second-half tear (see stat to note) that helped push the Padres toward the NL’s top wild-card spot. Merrill hit 12 of his 24 homers in the second half and ranked in the top 96% in the majors in expected slugging (.534) during the breakout rookie season. Moreover, he became the first rookie and the youngest player of the expansion era to ever hit five game-tying or go-ahead homers in the ninth inning or later, which included blasts off some of the best relievers in the game in Mason Miller, Edwin Díaz and Blake Treinen. Merrill went on to hit .250/.333/.500 with one homer in seven postseason games. Merrill finished second to the Pirates’ Paul Skenes’ historic year in NL Rookie of the Year voting, but his credentials were more than good enough to win in most years as he led all rookies in hits (162), extra-base hits (61), RBIs (90), batting average (.292) and slugging (.500), was tied with the Orioles’ Colton Cowser in home runs and was tied for sixth among all center fielders with 12 outs above average.

2025 OUTLOOK

Merrill developing into an All-Star as a rookie played a major role in a payroll-shedding Padres team winning 93 games, second most in franchise history. The Padres have yet to outline a plan to replace Ha-Seong Kim at shortstop and Merrill could be seen as an option. The organization, however, has top prospect Leodalis De Vries developing quickly, which could lead the Padres to allow Merrill to simply build on a standout 2024 season in center field, perhaps higher in the lineup, too, as he moved into a run-producing role late in the year after spending most of the season in the bottom third.

San Diego Padres’ Jackson Merrill and teammates celebrate a 4-2 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers to secure a playoff spot at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024.(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Roster rankings

6. RHP Yu Darvish
7. INF Luis Arraez
8. INF Xander Bogaerts
9. RHP Robert Suarez
10. INF Jake Cronenworth
11. RHP Jason Adam
12. RHP Joe Musgrove
13. Adrián Morejón
14. RHP Jeremiah Estrada
15. RHP Matt Waldron
16. INF Eguy Rosario
17. RHP Randy Vásquez
18. RHP Bryan Hoeing
19. LHP Yuki Matsui
20. RHP Sean Reynolds
21. C Luis Campusano
22. RHP Jhony Brito
23. RHP Alek Jacob
24. OF Tirso Ornelas
25. RHP Ryan Bergert
26. RHP Henry Baez
27. LHP Omar Cruz
28. OF Brandon Lockridge
29. LHP Tom Cosgrove
30. RHP Stephen Kolek
31. RHP Juan Nuñez
32. C Brett Sullivan
33. UT Tyler Wade
34. LHP Wandy Peralta

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San Diego, CA

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

Published

4 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

16 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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