San Diego Padres' Rookie Joins Fun Club in MLB History as He Continues Hot Start
The San Diego Padres were beaten by the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night, 5-1, but rookie Jackson Merrill continues to shine this year. The 21-year-old outfielder joined a small but fun club in baseball history with another solid performance on Friday.
The San Diego Padres lost to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night, 5-1, at PetCo Park. With the loss, the Padres are now 11-11 on the year. The Jays moved to 11-9 with the win.
Though San Diego lost, rookie Jackson Merrill provided another solid moment in this young season, going 1-for-4 with a double. The fact that it was his birthday paired him in a small and fun group in baseball history.
Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
extra-base hit on birthday at age 21 or younger, since 2000:
Today Jackson Merrill
9/22/15 Carlos Correa
7/6/13 Manny Machado
8/7/12 Mike Trout
8/9/10 Jason Heyward
8/25/07 Justin Upton [20th bday]
9/28/05 Ryan Zimmerman
8/21/04 B.J. Upton [20th bday]
Merrill just turned 21 on Friday night. Obviously, being in the big leagues before the age of 21 is a very hard thing to do, which is why the list is so small. Perhaps with new rules and new incentives for bringing up top prospects, the list will expand in the future, but let's just enjoy what Merrill is doing for now.
The converted outfielder is hitting .329 this season with one homer, eight RBI and four steals. He's posted an .840 OPS as well.
Because he hasn't played enough yet to graduate out of the list, he is still the No. 2 prospect in the organization and No. 11 overall in baseball.
The Padres and Blue Jays will play again on Saturday with first pitch coming at 8:40 p.m. ET. Jose Berrios (3-0, 1.05 ERA) pitches for Toronto against Randy Vasquez (0-0, 0.00 ERA).
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