On Jan. 7, ESPN released a column that ranked the best players at every age in MLB from ages 16–25. The Padres had one of their backbones ranked particularly high for his age group, considering he missed a lot of time in 2025 with injury.
Merrill ranked second out of all players born in 2003, only placing behind Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero. Merrill ranked ahead of Athletics’ first baseman Nick Kurtz, who hit 36 home runs in his rookie campaign. Notable players such as Jackson Holliday, Eury Perez, Chase Burns, and Trey Yesavage were also named to the list.