MLB Network's 'Rivalry Weekend' debate has Padres fans backing Jackson Merrill

Two of the biggest young outfield stars in baseball squared off against each other this past weekend. Jackson Merrill of the Padres, and Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners garnered much attention in the series that saw San Diego get swept in three games.

With Merrill and Rodriguez opposing one another, it was easy to draw the similarities. They are both young faces of the franchise who signed long-term deals before arbitration, who have an abundance of talent on both sides of the ball.

It begs the question: Who would you rather have on your team for the next decade? Jackson Merrill or Julio Rodriguez?

Rodriguez has two more years of MLB service time under his belt, but many fans think that Merrill is the clear answer. Rodriguez, in his first two seasons with Seattle, was named to the All-Star team both times, earning Silver Slugger honors in both seasons. He also placed seventh and fourth in the American League MVP race.

It was as promising to a Hall of Fame career as we have seen recently, but Rodriguez has taken a dip since 2023. Last year, his OPS+ dropped from 147 and 130, to 115. That is still a respectable metric, but Rodriguez was much more dominant in his first two campaigns.

This yer, Rodriguez is off to a cold start, batting .232, which is over 40 points below his career average. He still has some decent power numbers, flexing eight home runs, five doubles, and two triples in the early going, but it is still subpar compared to his previous seasons. The decline was present in 2024, and now through 47 games this year, fans think that Merrill is the better option.

Rodriguez is still a phenomenal runner and fielder, though. He ranks in the 97th percentile in Outs Above Average, 96th percentile in sprint speed, and 96th percentile in arm strength. It's just his bat that has come back to earth, but his other tools have kept him in the conversation as a top young talent.

Merrill, on the other hand, is carrying his successful rookie season into 2025. He hit a fork in the road with a brief injury, but Merrill is batting .361 this season with a .972 OPS across 21 games. Merrill was an All-Star, a Silver Slugger, and a Top 10 NL MVP finisher at just 21 years old, so it makes sense if people lean Merrill over Rodriguez, but don't overlook the Mariners outfielder's complete skillset. Merrill is an above-average defender and runner, but Rodriguez wins in those departments.

As of right now, Merrill is the better hitter, but there is still plenty of baseball left in the year. Offensive output generally outweighs defensive prowess, so electing for Merrill as the preferred face of the franchise is not a bad bet.