SAN DIEGO ¨C The San Diego Padres have signed 21-year-old center fielder Jackson Merrill to a nine-year contract through the 2034 season with a club option for 2035, President of Baseball Operations & General Manager A.J. Preller announced today.
¡°As an entire organization, we are excited to make this long-term commitment to Jackson,¡± said Preller. ¡°From the day we signed him, Jackson has embodied everything we look for in cornerstone players ¨C a dynamic two-way skillset, a commitment to off-field excellence, and a mentality centered on winning and bringing his teammates with him. With Jackson joining our core for years to come, today marks another important step in our journey towards our first World Series championship,¡±
A 2024 National League All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner in his debut season, Merrill batted .292 (162-for-554) with 31 doubles, six triples, 24 home runs, 90 RBI, 16 stolen bases and 77 runs scored in 156 games last year for the Padres. He finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting to Pittsburgh¡¯s Paul Skenes after leading all Major League rookies in games played, hits, average, home runs, RBI, XBH (61), SLG % (.500) and OPS (.826). Merrill hit six game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the 8th inning or later in 2024, tying him with Hall of Famer Frank Robinson (1956) for the most in a season by a player 21-or-younger since 1900. Merrill was named NL Rookie of the Month twice (June & August) and was selected to the All-MLB Second Team following the season. He was also selected as the Padres¡¯ 2024 recipient of MLB¡¯s Heart and Hustle Award, which honors active players who demonstrate a passion for the game of baseball and best embody the values, spirit and traditions of the game.
Merrill started all seven Postseason games for San Diego in 2024 and became the youngest Padre ever to homer in a playoff game with his two-run shot in the 8th inning in Game 2 of the NLDS at Los Angeles. With that home run, he also became the fourth-youngest center fielder in MLB history to hit a postseason homer, trailing only Bryce Harper (2012), Andruw Jones (1998) and Mickey Mantle (1952).
Originally selected by the Padres in the first round (27th overall) of the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Severna Park High School (Md.), Merrill entered the 2024 season ranked as the Padres¡¯ No. 2 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. He skipped the Triple-A level entirely after batting .295 (236-for-800) with 45 doubles, 10 triples, 21 HR, 114 RBI, 31 stolen bases and 133 runs scored across 200 career minor league games.