By earning the start in center field on Wednesday at the Seoul Series, San Diego Padres’ rookie Jackson Merrill became the fourth-youngest player to start in centerfield on Opening Day during the Divisional Era.
As the 2024 Major League Baseball season kicked off Wednesday morning in Seoul, South Korea, San Diego Padres’ outfielder Jackson Merrill joined a really rare and unique group in baseball history.
Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com on social media:
At 20 years and 336 days old, Jackson Merrill is the 4th-youngest Opening Day starting CF in the divisional era (1969), older than only:
1989 Ken Griffey Jr: 19 y, 133 d
1990 Griffey: 20 y, 139 d 1969
Don Hahn: 20 y, 143 d
It’s ironic that Merrill joins Griffey Jr. in this group considering that Griffey Jr. was in attendance for see Opening Day, serving as a photographer, something he’s regularly done since retiring.
Even more amazing is that Merrill accomplished this feat at all, considering he’s a shortstop prospect who has converted to the outfield to help the Padres this year. In the wake of trading Juan Soto and Trent Grisham this offseason, San Diego had only two traditional outfielders on the 40-man roster, so Merrill stepped up to fill the void.
Merrill is the No. 12 prospect in baseball entering the 2024 season. He hit .277 last season in the minor leagues with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases.
The following comes from his MLB.com prospect profile:
Batting from the left side, Merrill uses an all-fields approach to pepper the ballpark with base knocks while protecting the plate. He doesn’t whiff often for his age and experience with an 8.1 percent swinging-strike rate that ranked 10th-best among qualified full-season Minor Leaguers aged 20 or younger in 2023. He did a better job of elevating balls last season, cutting down his ground-ball rate from 59.6 percent to 42.5, and that helps the belief that he’ll settle into above-average power later in his 20s.
The Korea Series continues on Thursday morning with the first pitch coming at 6 a.m. ET.
News
Mikayla Demaiter Once Again Wore Cleavage Dress And Stunned Her Fans
After nearly bursting out of her outfit, Mikayla Demaiter had her followers salivating. The former ice hockey goalie looked stunning in a brown outfit that was low cut in her most recent Instagram image. In a string of photos, she…
World’s Hottest Hockey Goalie Mikayla Demaiter Left Fans At ‘Loss For Words’ After Posting A Viral Bikini Picture
Mikayla Demaiter, arguably the sexiest ice hockey player in the world, shocked viewers by posing in a small green bra. Four years ago, the 23-year-old quit skating to focus on her modeling career after sustaining a knee injury….
Breaking News: Chicago Blackhawks Sending Connor Bedard Overseas
Photo credit: HockeyBeast Breaking News: Chicago Blackhawks Sending Connor Bedard Overseas In a surprising move, the Chicago Blackhawks have decided to send young talent Connor Bedard overseas for the upcoming men’s World Championship pre-tournament game against Austria this Sunday, and…
Blackhawks veteran gets angry at management during interview
Photo credit: Chicago-Sun Times Veteran players on the Chicago Blackhawks haven’t been happy with the team lately, for various reasons of course. One of those, unhappy with the team’s current state, is Seth Jones, who arrived in 2021, expecting to…
Hockey Goalie Turned Model Mikayla Demaiter Goes Viral On Instagram With New ‘Lock Screen’ Material
GETTY IMAGE A life of fame always seemed likely for Mikayla Demaiter. The Canada native grew up playing hockey and continued what looked like a career that would end up on the professional level. Unfortunately, injuries cut a once-promising career…
Ex-Goalie Turned Model Mikayla Demaiter Causes Stir With Red Baywatch Bikini
Former professional hockey goalie turned model, Mikayla Demaiter, sent shockwaves across social media platforms with a series of sultry photographs reminiscent of the iconic Baywatch era. The 23-year-old Canadian beauty took to Twitter-X to share a series of four photos showcasing…
End of content
No more pages to load