SAN DIEGO — Jackson Merrill insists he’s not doing anything new or different. Seriously. OK, sure, he may have made some minor mechanical changes. But he always does this. It’s not like he’s doing anything with the explicit goal of trying to gain power.
And yet, look at these results: Over the last 10 games, Merrill has hit seven home runs. His most recent was a 440-foot moonshot thrown by Statcast over the Petco Park batter’s eye — a three-run, fourth-inning drive that propelled the Padres to a 6-4 win over the Brewers on Saturday after- noon.
Ha-Seong Kim and Kyle Higashioka also went deep, and right-hander Randy Vásquez pitched five scoreless frames as San Diego earned its fourth straight victory.
It all started with Merrill, who became the youngest player in franchise history to hit seven home runs in 10 games. He is the second youngest to reach double figures in a season, behind Fernando Tatis Jr.
A real power surge for a 21-year-old rookie who, frankly, entered the big leagues with question marks over whether he would be able to hit for power. No one ever doubted Merrill’s elite bat-ball skills and ability to smash line drives.
But this kind of display of power? So early in his career?
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “When you have an efficient swing, you develop your power. And one of the things that I first evaluated or saw with Jackson was a guy who had a really good swing – and an idea of how to use it. Which can be rare, period. But also rare at a younger age.
And here’s the important part: Merrill didn’t sacrifice any other aspect of his skills to harness this power. He’s still doing things like spraying opposite-field singles and working on 13 pitches at bat. Merrill finished 3 for 3 with a walk Saturday and did both of those things.
“He has a good approach in the middle of the field, and I think that’s what’s going to make him a good hitter,” hitting coach Victor Rodriguez said before the game. “(Some young players) lose sight of the things they do well. He didn’t do that.”
Rodriguez – a veteran of more than four decades in the game – says this particular approach goes far beyond Merrill’s years. It’s an approach that veteran hitters often struggle to understand. Still, Merrill crushes titanic home runs — and he’s content not to pitch for them, too.
“When you see a guy doing that, then you start to worry,” Rodriguez said of Merrill Dam. “Is this guy going to stay in power? Or will he go back to staying in the big part of the field, getting his hits, getting his doubles? Then, when they make mistakes in the middle of the field, take your chances.
Although Merrill is adamant that he isn’t doing anything mechanically new to access his power, he has noted a subtle shift in mentality. Since arriving in the big leagues on Opening Day, he says he has become more aware of when to sell for the wrong piece of land.
He picked his spot on Saturday – at the start of the countdown, two men on board, one out.
“I learned when to shoot and when not to shoot,” Merrill said. “…In this situation, first and second, you’re trying to get someone in, not just get a little bachelor. So I take my photo.
Sure enough, Merrill received a fastball right down the middle from Brewers starter Carlos Rodriguez, and he unloaded. At 440 feet, it was by far the longest home run of his big-league career, according to Statcast. He thinks it’s probably the longest shot he’s ever hit. But …
“It doesn’t matter,” Merrill said. “I don’t think I ever looked at the distance, because if it goes over the fence, it’s a home run.”
What if it doesn’t? Merrill is probably hitting hard somewhere. With his performance Saturday, Merrill increased his batting average to .290 and his OPS to .771. He played notable center field, although he had never played that position at any level before this season.
Midway through the Padres’ season, Merrill is making a strong case for NL Rookie of the Year, although he seems to feel the same way about it as he does about home run distances.
“I don’t even care about that stuff,” Merrill said recently. “I don’t care about the Rookie of the Year vote or the All-Star vote. I care about our team here. I care about winning.
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