Latest honor isn't the only hardware Padres' rookie Jackson Merrill should receive

In just one season, Jackson Merrill has become a household name with San Diego Padres fans. It seems like a while ago, given everything that has happened since, but Merrill has gone from a young prospect with a chance of debuting in 2024 to making the Padres Opening Day roster to being a crucial part of the team's offense and identity in just a matter of months.

Once Merrill established himself in Padres lore, the question quickly turned to how he stacked up against the other rookies in the league. For the most part, he was in a class above the other youngsters with the exception of Pittsburgh Pirates' starter Paul Skenes.

If you were to poll most neutral observers, the vast majority of them would pick Merrill or Skenes for NL Rookie of the Year, and it would seem that giving anyone else a first or second-place vote is objectively insane.

As great as Pirates RHP Paul Skenes was in 2024, Padres' CF Jackson Merrill deserves to win the NL Rookie of the Year

The end of season hardware is beginning to be handed out and Merrill emerged victorious this week by winning The Sporting News' NL Rookie of the Year. The BBWAA's NL Rookie of the Year Award winner will be announced in mid-November.

There is no way to have nuance in these sorts of conversations. Last season, half the internet would yell at you in early September if you offered an opinion regarding Ronald Acuña Jr. or Mookie Betts for NL MVP.

Skenes looks like he will be one of the best pitchers in baseball for the foreseeable future, and anyone arguing otherwise didn't watch him pitch in 2024. Skenes posted a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts and often looked even more dominant than that. However, Skenes didn't play a full season and that is where things get sticky.

Put another way, Skenes numbers on a rate basis should entitle him to NL Cy Young Award consideration, but you don't hear many pundits arguing for Skenes over Chris Sale right now — other than deranged Pirates fans that are looking for a shred of joy in their lives. Why should the NL Rookie of the Year award be treated differently here?

It only makes sense when you are choosing between two worthy contenders. If the choice was between Skenes and some Rockies corner outfielder that hit .240 with 20 homers, give Skenes the hardware.

Padres' CF Jackson Merrill outplayed Paul Skenes in 2024

However, Merrill posted a 130 wRC+, good enough for 13th among all qualified hitters (not just rookies) in baseball. In addition, Merrill also played Gold Glove-caliber defense at a new position. That level of production while playing in almost every day from Opening Day deserves recognition.

Is that going to be how things play out with NL Rookie of the Year vote? That is tougher to predict. The BBWAA can be incredibly fickle and, frankly, weird when they vote. In the past, some pretty subpar hitters have gotten love over more deserving pitchers in ROY races, but the Skenes hype machine is very real. In all likelihood, this is going to be a close vote between two deserving players.

That said, give Merrill the trophy he deserves while also acknowledging that both guys are going to be in the running for a lot of hardware in the coming years.

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