UK Baseball commit Jackson Merrill taken by San Diego Padres in first round of MLB Draft
(Photo by Colin Murphy | Severna Park Voice)
The Bat Cats will miss out on one of its top commits.
During the first round of Sunday night’s 2021 MLB Draft, Jackson Merrill, a class of 2021 Kentucky Baseball commitment, was drafted by the San Diego Padres with the 27th overall pick. A 6-foot-3, 195-pound shortstop from Severna Park, Maryland, Merrill is ranked by Perfect Game as the 96th best player from his class and the second-best Wildcat pledge. MLB.com ranked him as the 79th best available prospect.
He initially committed to Kentucky in November of 2020, but it doesn’t look like he’ll make an appearance in Lexington this coming season.
With the 27th pick in the 2021 #MLBDraft, the Padres have selected Jackson Merrill from Severna Park (MD). pic.twitter.com/V1RGGpBDrZ
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 12, 2021
Merrill, who is just 18 years old, was named the 2021 Capital Gazette Player of the Year in Maryland, batting .500 this past season with 13 home runs (which tied a school record) and 39 RBIs. He’s a late-bloomer who saw his stock rise considerably this spring due to his outstanding senior season performance. Merrill powered Severna Park to a 17-1 record and a runner-up finish in the 4A State Championship.
“Obviously it’s really, really exciting for me,” Merril said, according to MLB.com. “It was a lot of things rushing to me at once. I’m just taking it in still. I’m very excited to get into pro ball and to get out there and work really hard.”
Can we interest you in some highlights of Padres 1st Round pick Jackson Merrill? pic.twitter.com/0JbQ5QhJG8
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) July 12, 2021
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