National MLB Insider
This time last year, many in the baseball industry knew who Jackson Merrill was. Having been selected in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, the then-20-year-old was considered a top prospect and a rising star to keep an eye on. Even so, the player himself wasn’t sure when or even if he’d get his opportunity to break out.
But sometimes a team need creates an individual opportunity, and that’s what developed last spring in front of the former first-round pick.
The 2024 Padres needed a center fielder, and so, with very few options in sight, they looked to Merrill to make a massive change during spring training: Move from shortstop, where he had played his entire career, to a new position in center.