NL West Rival Expects Padres' Jackson Merrill to Figure Things Out: 'He's a Superstar'

The San Diego Padres are ready to start the second half of the season with a 52-44 record and currently second in the National League West.

They have been doing so recently while superstar Jackson Merrill has been in a mighty slump, currently hitting just .167 in his last 20 appearances. After starting the season with a 1.090 OPS in his first 10 games and a nine-year, $135 million contract extension, a hamstring injury would sideline him for a month, putting an abrupt pause to his incredible start.

Since his return in early May, Merrill is still hitting .243 on the year, but Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star Corbin Carroll spoke on his divisional rival's slump and how he knows that Merrill will soon return to form.

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“It hurts because you care,” Carroll said to the San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee. “And I’m sure he’s going through it a little bit right now. But I’ve got all the confidence in the world that he’s gonna figure it out. He’s too good of a hitter. I’ve seen him hit lefties, hit righties, line drives all over the park. That’s who he is, and I think he’ll be just fine.”

When asked what advice he would offer Merrill, Carroll continued showing confidence in his fellow competitor.

“With a player like him, I feel like he doesn’t need my advice. He’s so incredibly talented that I feel like everyone’s kind of on the same page of, like, this is just a bump in the road with the kind of player he is. He’s a superstar.”

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Merrill has certainly been frustrated lately, but recently noted that while his bat-to-ball production has been off, he still wants to continue being a force on defense.

“I haven’t been doing s--- with the bat,” Merrill said. “I have to do something with my glove. It’s always like that. Whenever you can’t produce on one side of the ball, how can you produce on the other side of the ball. Stay locked in always, and don’t give anything away.”

With one of the best arms in the game, an average 95.3 mph throwing speed, per Statcast, and ranking in the 78th percentile in terms of Outs Above Average, Merrill is holding up his end of the bargain.

Perhaps the All-Star break will prove to be all that Merrill needs to get back on track. There was a promising sign during the penultimate game of the first half of the year when the centerfielder slugged two home runs, snapping a 34-game drought without even one long ball, but only time will tell when the drought can officially end for the young star.

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