Padres’ Jackson Merrill Finishes Higher Than Paul Skenes in NL MVP Race.
San Diego Padres rookie outfielder Jackson Merrill lost out on the National League Rookie of the Year award to Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, but Merrill did garner more NL MVP votes than Skenes. Merrill finished ninth in the NL MVP race, with 57 total points.
Merrill earned two fifth place votes, three sixth place votes, one seventh place vote, four eighth place votes, five ninth place votes, and four 10th place votes. Skenes did not make the top 16 in NL MVP voting, but earned one eighth place vote and finished third in the NL Cy Young award race.
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Skenes won the Rookie of the Year award after finishing his rookie season with an 11-3 record, 1.96 ERA, and 170 strikeouts. He posted an incredibly low ERA with an impressive record, especially since he played for a Pirates team that did not make the playoffs and struggled overall.
Merrill finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year race after slashing .292/.326/.500 with 162 hits, 77 runs, 24 home runs, and 90 RBIs. He won the NL Rookie of the Month award in June and August, and made the MLB All-Star Game.
Though Skenes won the Rookie of the Year award, it makes complete sense that Merrill finished ahead of him in MVP voting. As a pitcher, Skenes played in significantly fewer games than Merrill did. Merrill also was a major contributor to a team that went on to make the playoffs, and was more valuable to his team’s success overall.
Merrill did surprisingly finish ahead of all of his Padres teammates in the NL MVP race. He finished ahead of Jurickson Profar, who came in 14th, and Manny Machado, who finished 16th. Machado led the Padres in most categories, but the voters considered Merrill more valuable to the team.
The MVP was awarded to Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who won the award unanimously for the third time in his career. New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor took up most of the second place votes, and Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Martin came in third. Atlanta Braves’ Marcell Ozuna (fourth), Milwaukee Brewers’ William Contreras (fifth), Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryce Harper (sixth), Braves’ Chris Sale (seventh), and Cincinnati Reds’ Elly De La Cruz (eight) all finished ahead of Merrill in the voting.
