Padres EVP reveals inside story of Jackson Merrill recruitment

San Diego Padres Executive Vice President and Assistant GM Josh Stein opened up about recruiting Jackson Merrill despite external rankings. Merrill was selected by San Diego in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft with the 27th overall pick.

However, at the time, MLB Pipeline had ranked Merrill 79th in the draft class. Addressing the decision to draft him despite higher rankings from other evaluators, Stein praised the Padres’ scouting department, saying:

“Yeah, I mean, really, again, a testament to our amateur scouting department, like an outstanding job. I can tell you, he was not 79th on our board. He wasn’t 27th on our board. He was very high on our internal board and really the crew that Danny Sader, Jake Koenig, Mark Conner, Dave Post, who we talked about, and many others that went in and saw Jackson.”

Further discussing what the Padres’ scouting department saw in Jackson Merrill, Stein said:

“I think they were always impressed with his competitiveness, the kind of teammate he was. And listen, what you hear from Jackson day in, day out is it’s about winning. And you can say that, but when you can see that as an 18-year-old playing with your high school teammates, you know it’s authentic, you know it’s legit, and that’s really been the story of Jackson since the day we drafted him.”

After being drafted, Jackson Merrill signed a $1.8 million signing bonus with the San Diego Padres and went on to play for several minor league affiliates. In March 2024, his contract was selected, and he was added to the Padres’ Opening Day roster.

Padres insider reveals Jackson Merrill’s potential return for the 2025 season

Jackson Merrill had a stellar rookie campaign last year, earning All-Star honors, winning a Silver Slugger Award, and being named to the All-MLB Second Team.

He began the 2025 season with a solid performance for the Padres. However, the 22-year-old was recently sidelined and placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain.

According to San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Kevin Acee, Merrill is expected to return soon and could make his comeback in the Padres’ game against the New York Yankees on May 5.

Earlier this month, Merrill signed a nine-year, $135 million contract extension with San Diego. The massive deal followed his impressive 2024 season, in which he recorded a .292 batting average, hit 24 home runs, and 90 RBIs across 156 games.

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Chirag Dhariya is a baseball reporter at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience in content writing and SEO. While it may not seem directly related to his current profession, Chirag believes his graduation in Commerce instilled in him the research and analytical skills essential for this job.

A New York Mets fan, Chirag was introduced to baseball and its popularity in Japan, thanks to anime. He considers Sonny Gray securing his 100th career win in the same place where he got his first win – the Oakland Coliseum, as one of his favorite moments from recent MLB history.

Chirag’s writing process involves meticulous research and multiple proofreads to ensure his articles provide the readers with accurate facts packaged in a simple yet engaging manner.

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