The Padres will be thrilled if Jackson Merrill proves as durable as the lithe and baseball-passionate Benito Santiago, who, like Merrill, had a big rookie season with San Diego. One of the sport’s more athletic catchers,

Merrill, who switched from shortstop to center field before the season, had a rookie year that not only filled the Padres hole in center, but exceeded expectations. Merrill led al

Monday’s news was a bummer for the Padres on multiple levels. There’s just no sugarcoating that bad luck stung them when the National League’s Rookie of the Year award went to Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.