Fan verdict heavily one-sided in Jackson Merrill vs Julio Rodriguez debate

All-Star outfielders Jackson Merrill and Julio Rodriguez featured in the recently concluded three-game series between the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres.

Though both Merrill and Rodriguez are two of the best young center fielders in the MLB, baseball fans seem to have a clear favorite when picking between them.

MLB Network asked fans about picking one between Merrill and Rodriguez as their center fielder for the next decade in a post on X. The post read:

"Which center fielder are you taking for the next 10 years: Jackson Merrill or Julio Rodríguez?"

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While Merrill is just in his second major league season, fans inclined towards the Padres outfielder.

"Seattle Mariners fan here! Jackson Merril, no question. Julio is inconsistent and doesn't play with that fire that Merril does."

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"Merrill and it’s not even close," wrote another fan.

"Are we limited to only keeping them in the center? Merrill’s ability to play multiple positions defensively adds a lot of value. That way, even if he gets injured and can’t run as well, he can still play in the IF and provide value," a fan wrote, arguing Merrill's versatility.

"Julio has the potential to be the better player, but until he shows he can be consistent with his talent it pains me to say Merrill."

The majority of fans sided with the Padres All-Star, but some overlooked both players and picked Chicago Cubs sensation Pete Crow-Armstrong.

"Neither. I'll take Pete Crow-Armstong," claimed a fan.

"I'm taking the best baseball player in the National League. Mr. 3 WAR as of May 18th, game 45."

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Jackson Merrill notes difference in level from minor leagues to MLB

Jackson Merrill made a seamless transition to the major leagues last season, finishing second in the National League Rookie of the Season after a stellar year. However, the young outfielder revealed the transition from Triple-A to MLB is not easy, citing a major gap in quality.

“One hundred percent,” Merrill said. "And you can see it. Like, me going (on a rehab assignment) and coming back up, there’s just such a massive gap. … People up here, they have three pitches that are good. Everybody. The best guy you see down there is the worst guy up here.”

After missing nearly a month of action due to injury, Jackson Merrill is going through a slump. He is 1-for-19 in his last five games and failed to make any contribution from the plate in the Mariners' sweep of the Padres.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash