The historic home run milestone Jackson Merrill is chasing in his third season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Jackson Merrill was somebody that the San Diego Padres were excited about early. They selected him with the 27th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, and it didn't take him long to fly through the minors.
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He would go on to make his MLB debut in 2024 and has not looked back. He became the first Padres player to be named an All-Star during their first season.
Ahead of the 2025 season, he went on to sign a nine-year extension, but would miss quite a few games last year. He made three separate trips to the IL, which resulted in him missing half the season.
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The historic home run milestone Jackson Merrill is chasing in his third season
Jackson Merrill came into camp fully healthy, and with that, there are some big expectations for the center fielder. Fans would love for him to return to the player he was during his rookie season.
If he can do that, then the Padres would be in a good spot offensively. Manny Machado and Fernando Tatís Jr. are still operating at All-Star levels, especially offensively.
According to ESPN, Merrill comes into the new season ranked as the 43rd-best player going into the 2026 season. And David Schoenfield projects the young slugger to do something only one other player in franchise history has done.
"Season prediction: Merrill stays healthy and joins Steve Finley (1996) as the only Padres center fielder to hit 30 home runs -- and regains his rookie magic with a couple of walk-off blasts."
Schoenfield puts the pressure on Merrill to blast 30 home runs, which would put him in company with Steve Finley as the only SD center fielders to have done so.
He certainly has the power to do so, and it would not be all that surprising to see him blow past the 30-homer mark Finley set.
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