Padres' No. 1 prospect among representatives in AFL

Jackson Merrill caught attention before he ever took an at-bat for the Peoria Javelinas. The Padres chose to send their top prospect to the Arizona Fall League after a season in which wrist and hamstring injuries limited him to just 45 games with Single-A Lake Elsinore. Only fellow 2003-born infielders Deyvison De Los Santos (D-backs) and Jose Salas (Marlins) were younger on an AFL roster, and both had at least seen High-A.

The jump to a circuit considered prospect finishing school hasn’t fazed Merrill, however.

“I feel like here, honestly, I have nothing to lose,” he said. “I'm one of the younger guys here. Just come out, show what I got, compete, and I think I'll do well.”

The 19-year-old shortstop’s confidence has been justified in the early going with Peoria. He's opened the AFL season 16-for-45 (.356) with a homer, two triples and a double through 11 games entering Wednesday’s play. His .937 OPS certainly trumps Salas’ .637 and De Los Santos’ .498 among that youngest triumvirate.

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This isn’t to say Merrill’s performance has come out of nowhere, though. Since going 27th overall in the 2021 Draft, the left-handed-hitting Maryland native has impressed San Diego officials with his timing at the plate and an ability to spray the ball to all fields and tap into good power for his age and position. He exhibited those skills early with Lake Elsinore -- this year’s California League champion -- by hitting .325/.387/.482 with 18 extra-base hits in his 219 plate appearances.

Given that it was his first full season, MLB's No. 83 prospect admitted he wasn’t expecting the aggressive assignment of the AFL to follow, even if he was eager for the challenge.

“I'd say no, to be completely honest with you,” he said. “I was hurt for most of the season, came back, was just trying to win a championship with my team, and then toward the end of the season, I got notified. I [thought], ‘Well, it's an opportunity. I might as well take it.’”

It’s the kind of chance that is likely to keep coming Merrill’s way the more he performs like he has and continues to stand out in a San Diego system that was decimated by blockbuster trades over the summer. While they dealt big names like Robert Hassell III and James Wood in August, the Padres chose to keep Merrill in their ranks, and given what he’s shown with his bat and leadership skills at both Lake Elsinore and Peoria so far, he might be on the fast track to joining Manny Machado on the San Diego dirt.

“It feels good to still be in this org,” Merrill said. “I like this org. There are a lot of good people here. I love still being here. [The trades] didn’t make me feel any different. I still want to work hard, still get to the top of my game with the Padres.”

Padres hitters in the Fall League

Tirso Ornelas, OF (No. 18): Ornelas wasn’t added to the 40-man roster when he was eligible last offseason and faces another Rule 5 situation this winter. The 22-year-old outfielder hit .288/.355/.408 with seven homers and seven steals in 112 games at Double-A San Antonio and got in three late games at Triple-A El Paso, so he is closing in on the Majors. A broad set of solid skills could help his case, but he lacks a true plus skill.

Nerwilian Cedeno, INF (No. 26): The 20-year-old switch-hitter jumped to full-season ball for the first time this summer and hit .256/.362/.400 with six homers and 18 steals in 71 games. He walks at a solid rate and shows decent enough speed to cause problems on the basepaths. After playing third base in 2021, he has seen the bulk of his time at second in 2022, including during the Fall League.

Padres pitchers in the Fall League

Alek Jacob, RHP (No. 24): A 16th-round senior sign out of Gonzaga in 2021, Jacob flourished out of the bullpen in his first full season, climbing three levels from High-A to Triple-A. His sidearm angle can give hitters fits, despite a lack of fastball velocity in the upper-80s, because his changeup and low-70s curveball provide so much funk. Entering Wednesday, he fanned 10 in 7 2/3 innings for Peoria.

Efrain Contreras, RHP (No. 25): The 22-year-old right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in late 2020, and after missing all of the following season, he threw 53 1/3 innings this summer with High-A Fort Wayne as he ramped back up. The results weren’t easy (5.74 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, .301 average-against), but that can be partly waved away by all the missed time. When he’s on, the 5-foot-10 right-hander can flash three above-average pitches in his fastball, curve and change, and that capability already has him on the 40-man.

Moises Lugo, RHP (No. 28): The 23-year-old right-hander is a straight relief-only type with a 94-95 mph fastball and promising low-80s slider with two-plane break. Those two pitches were enough to help him fan 97 batters in 72 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A during the regular season, and his 31.7 percent K rate led Padres Minor Leaguers (min. 70 IP).

Jordan Guerrero, RHP: The 26-year-old right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2021 but recovered in time to make 10 relief appearances at Rookie-level, Single-A and Double-A at the tail end of this campaign. The 6-foot-5 right-hander has shown big velocity by touching triple-digits in the past but threw more cutters in his most recent Fall League outing on Oct. 13 at Salt River.

Chris Lincoln, RHP: Lincoln was selected in the fifth round of the 2019 Draft after showing a fastball up to 98 mph and a decent slider as the closer at UC Santa Barbara. Injuries and the pandemic have limited him to only 23 2/3 Minor League innings and none since that 2019 campaign. But he has appeared four times already for the Javelinas and didn’t allow an earned run in each of his first three outings.