Jackson Merrill Reveals How Closely Padres Are Watching Dodgers

In 15 career games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill has a .351 batting average, .377 on-base percentage and .509 slugging percentage. His 20 hits against Los Angeles are more than any team Merrill has played since his 2024 debut.

As the Padres try to chase down the Dodgers in the National League West standings, the 22-year-old center fielder has been instrumental in the hunt. The teams are separated by one game through Monday.

“Of course, we see it, but we’re playing our own game, not really trying to think about it right now,” Merrill told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Just play our own game and it’ll come.”

It's a boring answer, but it's revealing of the focus that allowed the Padres to trust Merrill with a nine-year, $135 million contract extension that runs through 2034 (with a team option for 2035). The extension, signed in April, kicks in next year.

The Padres made Merrill their everyday center fielder as a 21-year-old rookie a year ago. His superlative 2024 season ended with a Silver Slugger Award, a ninth-place finish in National League MVP voting, a place in the All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas, and a runner-up finish for the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

Merrill began last year as the Padres' No. 9 hitter, but worked his way up to No. 5 by season's end. This year, he's most frequently found himself batting fourth, behind Manny Machado.

Although his batting statistics have slipped (.261/.320/.406 through Monday, a 101 OPS+), he remains a plus defender in center field.

Only Fernando Tatis Jr. (4.9), Machado (3.7) and Xander Bogaerts (2.3) have been worth more Wins Above Replacement than Merrill (1.7) through Monday, according to Baseball Reference.

After playing the Giants Tuesday and Wednesday in San Francisco, the Padres will enjoy an intrastate travel day Thursday. Friday, they will host the first of three games against the Dodgers with the National League West at stake.

The Dodgers have finished first in the National League West each of the last three seasons. The Padres finished second in two of those years (and third in 2023). The act of chasing down the Dodgers has become a ritual at Petco Park.

They revived the tradition last October in the National League Division Series. Los Angeles came back from a two-games-to-one deficit in the best-of-five series to advance to the NLCS.

The Padres and Dodgers had never met in the postseason before 2020, but now have done so three times in the last five years. Merrill would be forgiven for salivating over a rematch, as many fans are, but he is resisting the temptation to look ahead.

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