
A few weeks ago, conventional wisdom held Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes winning National League Rookie of the Year in a walkover. Jackson Merrill has entered the chat.
Over the past month, Merrill has been at the heart of the San Diego Padres' surge that has seen them win 16 of 20 games since the All-Star break and position themselves as one of Major League Baseball's most dangerous teams. All along the way, their 21-year-old rookie has been in the middle, coming up with clutch hits and playing stellar defense.