Patience could unlock even better version of Merrill
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PEORIA, Ariz. -- We¡¯re going to nitpick.
Because, really, if you¡¯re taking issue with any part of Jackson Merrill¡¯s brilliant debut season, it¡¯s nitpicking.
Merrill just turned in what was probably the greatest rookie season in Padres history. He fell just shy of the franchise¡¯s first Rookie of the Year Award in 37 years. If Merrill were to put forth another season like his 2024 campaign, he would establish himself as one of the best players in baseball by his age-22 season.
And yet, we can nitpick, because Merrill is nitpicking.
¡°I want to get better,¡± Merrill said Tuesday from Padres camp. ¡°That¡¯s the way I always am. I look at things, and I always want to get better.¡±
And there¡¯s one area, specifically, where Merrill thinks he can do that: He wants to walk more.
Across the board, Merrill¡¯s numbers were mostly spectacular. He slugged .500 with 24 home runs -- many of those coming in the biggest at-bats of the team¡¯s season. He batted .292 with 31 doubles and 162 hits, two hits shy of Benito Santiago¡¯s franchise rookie record set in 1987. By wRC+ -- an all-encompassing hitting metric -- Merrill¡¯s 130 mark was the best for a qualifying rookie in franchise history.
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But Merrill sees that 4.9% walk rate -- just 29 walks over 593 plate appearances last year -- and he wants that number higher. His game is already dynamic enough in the outfield, on the basepaths and when he swings the bat. But if Merrill could be just a bit more patient at the plate?
¡°It¡¯s hard to quantify, but we¡¯ve been able to do it in the past with players, saying, ¡®Listen, you were at X chase rate, and if you can get to Y, here¡¯s what the production can look like,¡¯¡± said manager Mike Shildt. ¡°That spread is pretty significant in some cases.¡±
Shildt recently noted that Merrill would likely be moved higher in the order in Year 2, perhaps hitting third or fourth. That presumably gives the Padres a fearsome 2-3-4 featuring Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Merrill -- and it would give Merrill plenty of RBI opportunities.
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As such, there¡¯s a fine line to walk. Merrill¡¯s aggressiveness was the driving force behind his success at the plate last season. Nine of his 24 homers came on the first pitch. Only four hitters in all of baseball -- the Rangers¡¯ Corey Seager, the Yankees¡¯ Aaron Judge, the A¡¯s Brent Rooker and the Mets¡¯ Pete Alonso -- hit more first-pitch home runs.
Merrill doesn¡¯t want that to change. He just wants to make his aggressiveness pay off in a different way. With a reputation for mashing early in counts, Merrill likely won¡¯t be afforded so many early pitches to hit. The league adjusts. He wants to adjust back -- by working himself into better counts. But when he gets that early pitch to hit ¡
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¡°I'm still going to be aggressive, dude,¡± Merrill said. ¡°But I'm just going to eliminate certain spots. I'm going to know where pitches are starting, where they're going to finish. I'm going to do a lot more homework this year.¡±
On the Spring Training back fields, Merrill is getting started on that homework. He spent the first full-squad workout Monday swinging exclusively at fastballs during live batting practice. If he struck out? Didn¡¯t care. At this point in camp, honing his selectivity is more important.
That¡¯s what mid-February is for, anyway. Laying off breaking pitches will not be a strategy Merrill employs during the season. (He fared perfectly fine against breaking balls in 2024 -- just ask Edwin D¨ªaz and Mason Miller.) But if there¡¯s ever a time for Merrill to refine his approach at the plate, it¡¯s during camp, where the results aren¡¯t paramount.
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¡°It's not like it's going to happen overnight,¡± Merrill said. ¡°It's going to take reps, and it's going to take patience. I need to feel it out. I think this spring is a good time to work on it -- try to get deeper into counts.
¡°If I see a good pitch to hit, do damage on it. If not, I don't need to swing.¡±
In theory, that¡¯s a simple thought. In practice, that concept has flummoxed hitters for as long as the game of baseball has existed. Then again, Merrill has made just about everything about his arrival in the big leagues look easy. Why wouldn¡¯t the same be true of his Year 2 adjustments?
¡°I always want to learn, see what I can improve on,¡± Merrill said. ¡°I just can¡¯t wait to keep playing, get more games under my belt.¡±