Padres’ Xander Bogaerts issues epic Jackson Merrill claim after huge Game 2 outing
With tensions rising in Dodger Stadium, it was easy to overlook the marvelous effort that standout rookie Jackson Merrill put together in Sunday’s 10-2 win over the Dodgers. His rapid ascent is notably continuing in the MLB playoffs, in the midst of arguably baseball’s most intense rivalry today. The All-Star outfielder has flaunted his renown nerves of steel often enough for people to realize that he is not merely on a hot streak.
Merrill is built for the moment. Just ask Xander Bogaerts, another player who knows how it feels to produce at a high level in the playoffs at only 21 years of age.
“Man, that guy is different,” the veteran shortstop said after a chaotic Game 2 of the NL Division Series, per The Athletic’s Dennis Lin. “It ain’t luck. It ain’t pretending. He knows he’s a bad dude, and he feels it, and he believes it, and that’s who he is.”
While Bogaerts missed almost two months of action with a shoulder fracture, he witnessed Merrill quickly cement himself as one of the most clutch hitters in the game. The 2021 first-round draft pick is still answering the call during the most important time of the year.
Is Jackson Merrill already the Padres’ X-factor?
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Merrill went 3-for-5 with one home run and three RBIs in the Padres’ series-tying victory. Superb outings by Fernando Tatis Jr. (3-for-4, two homers and three RBIs) and starting pitcher Yu Darvish (one earned run in seven innings) prevented the shortstop-turned-center fielder from being a Game 2 hero, per se, but he is still making a thunderous statement.
Bogaerts is right. Merrill is not stumbling his way into big hits. He is a key reason why San Diego is back in the MLB playoffs after a disappointing 2023 season. When the two-time World Series champion, Tatis and other Padres stars were sidelined with injuries, this stellar athlete helped keep the club in contention. Now, they are two home wins away from slaying the Dodgers and returning to the NL Championship Series.
Jackson Merrill may soon be rewarded for his invaluable contributions, which include a .292 batting average, 24 home runs and an outstanding 11 outs above average in center, via Baseball Savant. In a year when the MLB was introduced to one of the most electric pitchers in recent memory, it is a testament to Merrill’s greatness that he has a legitimate chance to win NL Rookie of the Year.
Regardless of the outcome of that race, he is already earning respect from people all around the sport. That especially includes the Dodgers pitching staff. Merrill and the Padres will once again try to bury their in-state nemesis when LA rolls into Petco Park on Tuesday.
The post Padres’ Xander Bogaerts issues epic Jackson Merrill claim after huge Game 2 outing appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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