Watch: Severna Park's Jackson Merrill collects first major league hit
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – San Diego Padres' 20-year old rookie Jackson Merrill, who played his high school baseball at Severna Park High School, ripped a line single to right-field, Thursday morning, against the Los Angeles Dodgers for his first major league hit.
The knock came against Dodgers' right-handed reliever Michael Grove, one day after Merrill made his major league debut as the Padres' starting center-fielder. Merrill added a second hit later in the contest, going 2-for-5 with two runs scored as the Padres defeated the Dodgers, 15-11, to split a two-game series which opened 2024 MLB regular season in Seoul.
Merrill is the Padres' top prospect and the No. 12 overall prospect in baseball. His MLB debut on Wednesday (0-for-3) came less than three years after he was selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, shortly after playing his final high school game with Severna Park.
The left-handed hitting Merrill stands 6-foot-3 and impressed the Padres by striking out on 12.1 percent of the time last year in 114 games between High-A Fort Wayne and AA San Antonio. He continued to impress in spring training, striking out only three times in 40 plate appearances while slashing .351/.400/.595 with two home runs and three doubles in 13 games.
Merrill's high school career was limited because his sophomore and junior season were impacted by the COVID-19 shutdowns. He did, however, catch the attention of college and pro scouts with his play in summer ball and really got on their radar when he dominated high school pitching as a senior in 2021, hitting .500 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI. After being drafted by the Padres, he passed up a college scholarship to the University of Kentucky and has been on a fast-track to the big leagues ever since.
Former Severna Park high school baseball star Jackson Merrill made his major league debut this, starting in center-field in both games of the MLB regular season opening series in Seoul, South Korea. On Thursday, he collected his first two major league hits and scored two runs in a 15-11 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
