Jackson Merrill's emergence fuels Padres' hopes

The San Diego Padres have always been an enigma. Their team mascot is a chicken, and since joining the National League in 1969, they've mostly been an afterthought, making only two World Series appearances (1984 and 1998).

San Diego ranks in the top twenty media market size but can often be lumped with teams like Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Minnesota—true small-market teams with no real knack. However, San Diego has its own unique flair with great seafood, a beautiful downtown area on the water and a famous zoo. The late Peter Seidler, who sadly passed away this past offseason, knew all of this and envisioned the Padres as something more—something special.

Seidler did something bold, albeit not in the context of billion-dollar franchises, but significant for a smaller-market MLB team. He spent gobs of money and brought stars to his beloved franchise. Sielder, whose grandfather and uncle were the owners of the hated Dodgers (Walter and Peter O'Malley), committed $237 million for the 2023 season—third highest in MLB—acquiring stars such as Xander Bogaerts, Yu Darvish, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Josh Hader and Joe Musgrove.

Despite these investments, 2023 was a disaster. The team finished 82-80, third in the NL West, and with Seidler's passing, the franchise's future seemed in limbo. Luckily, there was baseball to be played in 2024. 

While hardly intimidating, the Padres sit at .500 (41-41) entering play on Monday and currently hold the third and final wild card slot in the very tight, albeit messy, NL playoff race. FanGraphs gives the Padres a 49.7% chance of making the playoffs, aligning with their current .500 record.

If the Padres are to make a real push for October baseball, it will be because of their fortified outfield. Entering Monday's games, the trio of Jurickson Profar (2.1), Tatis Jr. (2.0) and Jackson Merrill (2.3) boast two of the four highest bWARs on the team. Profar, the veteran anchor, is having the best statistical season of his career at age 31. Tatis Jr. garners headlines for his incredible talents as well as his off-field indiscretions. 

It's the ascent of Merrill, a 21-year-old rookie, that should have Padres fans most excited. Merrill is slashing .289/.326/.445 through his first 78 major league games. Last week, Merrill hit six runs in an eight-game span, becoming the second center fielder 21 or younger in MLB history to accomplish this feat, the first since the late Willie Mays in 1951.