Jackson Merrill Wants to Inspire Next Generation of Padres Prospects to Be Great

Apr 6, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (15) tags out San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill (3) at home plate during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres are still reeling from last week's contract extension of Jackson Merrill. The 21-year-old inked a nine-year, $135 million deal to stay in San Diego for the better part of the next decade.

If fans somehow missed it, Merrill impresses just as much with his mindset and class in talking to reporters that he does with his talent on the field.

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The centerfielder of the future recently talked about how he wants to uplift the next generation of Padres players who may potentially be next to him in the dugout one day.

“It also comes with a lot of responsibility if you do that,” Merrill said on his extension. “You know, let me show (Leo) De Vries, let me show (Ethan) Salas, let me show Cobb Hightower. Let me show these kids down there how it’s done and how you get up here. You don’t stop working. You keep going. I want to be the guy in the weight room that if you walk in the weight room every morning, I’m there. I want to be there waiting for you.”

Leodalis De Vries is a switch-hitting 18-year-old shortstop in Low-A who is also the No.1 ranked Padres prospect in part to. Ethan Salas is a fellow 18-year-old catcher who has been impressing in High-A and the No. 2 most prized prospect in the organization.

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If Merrill signed a much larger contract, not many would have seen it as an overpay or an unwise investment in the future of the franchise.

The team-friendly deal doesn't just help the Padres financially, but his commitment to helping the generation under him of players that are in the same position he was a few seasons ago is invaluable to the organization.

Merrill is a special player, but San Diego didn't just sign his bat to a nine-year deal. They signed the man who will be walking around the clubhouse for nine months out of the year doing whatever he can to get back to October and beyond.

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