Jackson Merrill's pursuit of NL Rookie of the Year continued Monday night, when the San Diego Padres center fielder belted his 24th home run of the season and joined an exclusive list in the process.

Less than two years later, the San Diego Padres made Jackson Merrill the highest-drafted player out of the state of Maryland in almost two decades. But, now, even Palacios finds himself marveling at how Merrill is already living up to the loftiest projections.

Rookie batting fifth for third time, above sixth for the first time since July 4 in Saturday’s game against Giants