Jackson Merrill Has Won Padres' Opening Day Center Field Job
It's official.
San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill will be the Padres center fielder on Opening Day when they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 20 and 21, via MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
This is not necessarily a surprise, but more of a confirmation of what was already expected. Coming into Spring Training, Merrill was the No. 12 overall MLB prospect and a player to watch.
With Juan Soto and Trent Grisham departing this offseason, a spot opened up in the outfield for Merrill. Though Merrill was previously a shortstop, he was able to successfully make the transition to the outfield, and more specifically, center field this offseason.
Merrill had never played center field prior to making the switch, and now he will start the season there. He will also make history as the third Opening Day center fielder before turning 21 years old in MLB history, along with Ken Griffey Jr. and Andruw Jones.
Outside of his outfield production and transition, Merrill has served as a valuable hitter for the team through Cactus League action. Merrill has led the team with 37 at-bats, and has showed off his bat, hitting .351 with 13 hits, eight runs and six RBIs. He's also been struck out only three times despite taking the highest number of at-bats for his team.
