Jackson Merrill’s latest milestone furthers argument he is best Padres rookie ever

San Diego Padres fans who haven't completely ignored the 2024 season to this point are very aware of how important Jackson Merrill has been to the team. While it looks like writers continue to be too enamored with Paul Skenes' highlight reel and truncated (but still very good) rookie season, Merrill should be the NL Rookie of the Year if actual merit is the only consideration.

However, ignoring that infuriating debate for a second, it is fair to wonder where Merrill's rookie year ranks among other top Padres rookie seasons.

After Merrill broke the rookie franchise record for RBI in a season, he has a really strong argument already as the best rookie in Padres' history.

NL Rookie of the Year Race: Jackson Merrill could be best Padres rookie ever

If we are being honest with ourselves, there are only two other players that even have an argument here other than Merrill. Sure, Roberto Alomar's 1988 rookie season saw him finish in the top five of the ROY voting and he is a Hall of Famer, but his .709 OPS that season should keep him out of this conversation despite his defensive excellence.

On a rate basis, Fernando Tatis Jr.'s 2019 season would be a clear winner. It is easy to forget how great his debut was — he had a .969 OPS over 84 games. Unfortunately, he hurt his back in August and saw his season cut short which cost him in the Rookie of the Year race. Conversely, Merrill has played in 140 games at a premium defensive position and has the counting stats on his side. Upside matters, but the ability to stay on the field gives Merrill the edge here.

Then we come to 1987 Rookie of the Year Benito Santiago, and this is where there's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison. Santiago slashed .300/.324/.467 while playing a very physically demanding position at catcher at an extremely high level. We might not see a rookie catcher perform this well ever again due to the difficulties.

However, Merrill still has Santiago beat in homers, RBI (Merrill just passed Santiago for the record), wRC+, fWAR, and OPS while also being a top tier defender in center field despite having switched to the position right before the start of the season.

While not wanting to take anything away from some of the great Padres rookies from yesteryear, Merrill is on his way to being in a class of his own.

More from Friars on Base