Jackson Merrill did not care about the NL Rookie of the Year.
The Padres’ 21-year-old center fielder made that clear any time he was asked about the award.
So this may be harder on his teammates or the San Diego fanbase than Merrill himself: Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes was named the NL’s top rookie as the Baseball Writers’ Association of America began rolling out the sport’s major awards this week.
The Pirates’ rookie received 23 first-place votes to Merrill’s seven en route to edging him out, 136-104, in voting. Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio finished third with 26 points and no first-place votes.
Merrill had made the NL Rookie of the Year race a two-horse sprint to the finish.
Before the All-Star Game — which Skenes started — it was a foregone conclusion that the super-hyped Pirates prospect with the famous girlfriend (Livvy Dunne) would win the award while taking his first steps as a true No. 1 pitcher.
His credentials by year’s end included a Pirates rookie record 170 strikeouts and a 1.96 ERA as just the 10th pitcher in the last 30 years to finish a season below 2.00. He fell 30 innings shy of qualifying for the ERA title.
Merrill forced himself into the Rookie of the Year picture by posting a .945 OPS and contributing clutch moments that saw him hit five game-tying or go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning or later.
Like with Skenes, Merrill’s season was historic. Merrill was the youngest player to accomplish that clutch feat since at least 1961 and the first rookie to do so.
All told, Merrill hit .292/.326/.500 with 24 homers, 90 RBIs and 16 steals after winning a spot on the opening day roster amid his move from shortstop.
Merrill edged Skenes 5.3 to 4.3 in WAR, as measured by Fangraphs. Merrill amassed 593 plate appearances in a wire-to-wire season, while Skenes made 23 starts (133 innings) after not making his debut until May 11.
The Padres could have earned a pick after the first round of July’s amateur draft had BBWAA voters chosen Merrill over Skenes (the Pirates were not eligible because they held Skenes back). Merrill, however, can still earn the Padres an extra draft selection if he finishes in the top three in MVP voting in either of the next two seasons.
Skenes is also a top-three finisher for the NL Cy Young Award that will be announced Wednesday, although pitching triple-crown winner Chris Sale is a heavy favorite for that honor.
Meantime, Merrill is already a Silver Slugger winner and was selected as the NL’s top rookie by the Major League Baseball Players Association earlier this month.
Catcher Benito Santiago (1987) remains the only Padre to win the NL Rookie of the Year outright. Pitcher Butch Metzger was Co-Rookie of the Year in 1976.
