Padres' Jackson Merrill fixes struggles vs. lefties with dominant showing this spring

If there is one thing that Padres fans are all definitely excited about this season, it's Jackson Merrill. On the tails of putting together a dominant first season in 2024 that placed him second in the National League Rookie of the Year race, Merrill is carrying that success into this spring.

Coming into 2025, there was one struggle that Merrill was looking to overcome on offense, which is facing left-handed pitching. As a rookie, he batted .240 against southpaws - compared to his .311 average against righties - alongside a rather forgettable .646 OPS. It's natural for a left-handed hitter to stumble against lefties, especially younger players. However, Merrill is already showing improvement in that department.

On Thursday, Merrill crushed a home run against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium. He deposited a changeup over the fence for a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning against left-hander Cody Bradford, marking his second round-tripper of the spring, and first against a southpaw.

Padres' Jackson Merrill is dominating left-handers this spring

Now, Merrill is hitting 3-for-5 with a home run and a triple against left-handers in spring training, including zero strikeouts. Alongside Eguy Rosario, who led off Thursday's game with a home run, he and Merrill lead all Padres hitters this spring with two home runs and five RBIs. Forrest Wall has also clubbed two round-trippers.

If Merrill can tap into this success against lefties in the regular season, then we would see an immediate better version of him, which is difficult to believe, considering how good he was as a rookie. In a lineup with Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Xander Bogaerts, the Padres already have a top offense in the National League, but if Merrill is good against all kinds of pitching, then this team can reach newer heights. The Padres want to make the playoffs, and in a competitive NL West division, any room for improvement will be taken with delight.

Merrill doesn't deserve to be burdened with this pressure, though. He's proving himself to be a star-level player already, and we can expect a natural progression from him as he plays more games. His numbers against lefties, however, was the only glaring issue on his 2024 resume, so it's easy to place a heavier focus on his improvement here. In spite of that, Padres fans just need to sit back and enjoy another year with Jackson Merrill holding it down as one of the game's best young players.