Merrill, M. King, Steer, Gallen, Bauers

Merrill off to a disappointing start … Jackson Merrill (OF, SD) was hindered by three IL stints in 2025 (hamstring, concussion, ankle), so it was reasonable to expect a rebound in 2026. What’s behind his early season woes?

YearPAHR/SBBA/xBAbb%/ct%GB/LD/FBh%HH%PX/xPXHR/FSpdSBO%
202459324/16.292/.2805/8135/23/403244%119/14313%11414%
202548316/1.264/.2617/7537/22/3931 43%120/12412%130 2%
20262044/10.202/.2329/7243/20/362547%91/1148%8524%

There has been some skills slippage:

  • A sharp decline in ct% has coincided with an uptick in SwK% (from 11% in 2024 to 14% in 2025 and 2026) and downturn in Zone Ct% (86% in 2024 to 81% in 2025 and 2026; MLB average: 83%). 
  • He has also seen far fewer pitches in the zone (Zone% 2024/25/26: 49%/50%/46%; MLB...

Almost!

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