SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have two finalists for the Baseball Writers¡¯ Association of America awards, which will be unveiled later this month.

Center fielder Jackson Merrill is a contender for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, along with Milwaukee outfielder Jackson Chourio and Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Skenes.

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Meanwhile, Mike Shildt -- fresh off his contract extension -- will be up for NL Manager of the Year, along with Milwaukee's Pat Murphy and the Mets' Carlos Mendoza.

Neither of those nominations should come as a surprise. Merrill is coming off perhaps the greatest rookie season in franchise history. Shildt, meanwhile, led the Padres to a 93-69 season -- the second-highest win total in club history -- on the heels of a disappointing 2023 campaign.

The Rookie of the Year Award will be announced on Nov. 18, followed by Manager of the Year on Nov. 19 -- both on MLB Network, with awards shows beginning at 3 p.m. PT. The Padres did not have a finalist for the MVP or Cy Young Award, though they have a few candidates who could receive down-ballot votes on each.

Merrill made his big league debut in Korea during the season-opening Seoul Series, playing center field. That alone was remarkable enough: He joined Andruw Jones and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players to start in center field on Opening Day before their 21st birthday.

• All-time Rookie of the Year winners

Throw in the fact that Merrill was a lifelong shortstop who had never played center at any level ¡­

¡°What he's been doing is incredible, and his energy's always been top notch,¡± Padres third baseman Manny Machado said. ¡°We've put him in so many situations -- Korea, an All-Star Game, clutch moments.¡±

Merrill thrived in all of them. He became the youngest Padres player to appear in an All-Star Game, but his season didn¡¯t truly take off until the second half. Merrill authored big home run after big home run ¨C including five game-tying or go-ahead homers in the ninth inning or later. He was the youngest player in MLB history to achieve that feat.

By season¡¯s end, Merrill led all MLB rookies in hits (162), extra-base hits (61), RBIs (90), batting average (.292) and slugging percentage (.500). With 24 home runs, he finished tied for first with Baltimore¡¯s Colton Cowser.

No Padres player has won the Rookie of the Year Award since Benito Santiago in 1987. Merrill¡¯s biggest competition for the honor is Skenes, who turned in a similarly dominant season on the mound, though Skenes was called up in May and made only 23 starts. Skenes had a higher bWAR and Merrill had a higher fWAR. It¡¯ll be close.

Manager of the Year might be, too. Like Shildt, Mendoza led a disappointing team in 2023 to the postseason in ¡¯24. Murphy, meanwhile, led the Brewers back to the playoffs after Craig Counsell¡¯s stunning departure for the Cubs.

• All-time Manger of the Year winners

But Shildt¡¯s case to become the Padres¡¯ first Manager of the Year Award winner since Bud Black in 2010 is a solid one. The Padres improved situationally and were much better in close games under Shildt in 2024. Their clubhouse clearly improved, too, following a significant amount of roster turnover.

It¡¯s often difficult to diagnose the factors directly attributable to a manager¡¯s impact, but Shildt deserves plenty of credit for San Diego¡¯s on-field success in 2024. The Padres agreed, finalizing an extension on Wednesday that will keep Shildt in San Diego through the ¡¯27 season.

¡°This extension is a sign of just a job really well done, production,¡± said general manager A.J. Preller. ¡°He took a talented group and got them together, really from Day 1. He brought a competitive spirit to our team and brought a lot of joy, energy and happiness to the city of San Diego. It was a lot of fun to be a part of it with him here this year.¡±