It's been the tale of two seasons for San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill. He started the year hot, hitting .467 with a .767 slugging percentage through the first 15 games of the year.
But, since then, Merrill is batting just .199 with a .277 slugging percentage across 43 games. Amid such a rough slump, Padres' hitting coach Victor Rodriguez, in a piece from Dennis Lin in The Athletic, revealed his plan to get Merrill back on track.
"How we can get him back is reminding him of the things that he does," Rodriguez said. "You know, the work, the routine, the commitment to the work, to getting back to using the whole field, swinging at good pitches."
"The main thing is swinging at good pitches." Rodriguez continued, "When he struggles, the effort level goes high ... and you start searching and swinging at bad pitches. That's what we're seeing more than anything."
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Merrill has been struggling for over a month now, and his struggles have culminated in a severe regression. He's chasing pitches more than ever, as he has a 38 percent chase rate according to Lin.
To get out of such a slump, Rodriguez is working with Merrill, reminding him of what he's already shown on the field early this season and in his rookie 2024 season.
For now, while Merrill continues to work his way back from a massive slump, the Padres are trying to stay afloat in the NL Wild Card. Merrill's resurgence would be welcome, but putting more pressure on him won't help Merrill get back anytime soon.
Merrill doesn't need to press so much; he has the talent, and if he were to take a step back and relax, in the eyes of Rodriguez, he'd be able to get out of this slump.
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