When Jackson Merrill belted a deep fly ball into the left-center field gap against the Cardinals on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium, the Padres rookie center fielder had a sense of what was about to happen in the seconds that followed. He had seen it before.
Merrill’s fly ball looked like it was going to land in the gap and go for extra bases. It would have easily scored Jake Cronenworth from second base.
That was until fellow rookie center fielder Victor Scott II showcased his combination of speed and defense.
The Cardinals rookie raced to the left-center field gap, leaped from the warning track and collided with the outfield wall. Scott, whose hat flew off his head as he left his feet, hauled in the fly ball and secured it as he fell to the ground. The highlight-reel grab ended the third inning and saved the Cardinals a run in their 7-5 loss to the Padres.
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It added another moment of joking frustration for Merrill, 21, who crossed paths with Scott, 23, during their time in the minor leagues.
“I’ve been seeing that man do that (stuff) for two years now, and it’s annoying, but it’s sick because, for me, I love the game,†Merrill said on Tuesday night. “Every time I see something cool, it’s like, ‘Oh, that was dope.’ You don’t get to see that every day. He’s got the ‘it’ factor when it comes to baseball.
“He plays hard. He plays aggressive. You can tell on defense he’s not afraid of running into a wall. He’ll do anything just to catch it. I appreciate the fact he plays ... hard. Obviously, I want to double or whatever I would have gotten there, but Vic is the man. He’s got a bright future ahead of him, so I’m hyped to see it.â€
Scott’s play led to a tip of the cap from Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas and applause from the crowd as Busch Stadium and his Cardinals teammates.
“It was pretty cool to see,†Scott said of the reaction to his catch. “I mean, as a young outfielder watching big league outfielders growing up, you see that. You see them make crazy plays, and then their teammates celebrating them afterward. To be in that moment, it was pretty surreal for me.
The leaping play also led Merrill to meet Scott in center field for a quick hug as Scott headed into the Cardinals dugout and Merrill headed to his spot in center field for the bottom of the third inning.
“I was like, ‘You’ve got to give me a hug for that one, dude. You can’t just pass me and go in. You’ve got to give me a hug for that one,’†Merrill recalled.
“That was a class-act reaction, honestly,†Scott said of the moment between the two rookies.
Scott, a draft pick out of college in 2022, and Merrill, a draft pick out of high school in 2021, have had similar rises and faced off against one another in Class High-A at the start of the 2023 season. They were teammates for a day that summer as members of the National League squad for the All-Star Futures Game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. They both came off the bench in that game, and Merrill was still a shortstop making the defensive switch to the outfield this year. They faced off once again when the two reached Class AA for their respective organizations.
“I haven’t really had a chance to talk that much (with him), but I just enjoy watching him play every time I see him play,†Merrill said. “He’s fun to watch. He’s fast, he can hit, run the bases and play out-of-his-mind defense. I’ve seen him rob me. I’ve seen him rob my teammates. It’s nothing new. It’s really cool to see.â€
Of all the moments between the rookies, who both made their MLB debuts this year as their respective teams’ opening day starting center fielders, it was one of their early encounters in High-A that has stuck with Merrill.
“I think the first week we played him in High-A, he stole every single time he got on base and didn’t get thrown out a single time,†Merrill said of Scott, who was 9 for 9 in steal attempts when Fort Wayne, the Padres’ High-A affiliate, and Peoria, the Cardinals’ High-A affiliate, met for a six-game series in April 2023.
“Really the most annoying thing ever, too, because you knew he was going (to steal) and you still couldn’t get him.
“I think I said to him last year, ‘I can tell you’re nasty, dude.’ The first time I ever saw him. He’s got it. He’s aggressive, and that’s all you need.â€
Matz, Siani rehab
Left-handed pitcher Steven Matz (lower back strain) and outfielder Michael Siani (right oblique strain) came out of their respective rehab games well, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said.
Matz completed three innings and allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits in a start for Class AAA Memphis. He struck out three batters and reached 64 pitches in the outing. Matz was planned to throw around 65 pitches in the game.
Siani made his first rehab outing with a start in center field for Class AA Springfield (Missouri). Siani went hitless in three at-bats and played five innings in the field.
Siani is set for a workload buildup that would include seven innings in the field in his next rehab game. He was in Springfield’s starting lineup at center field on Wednesday.
Mathews promoted to Class AAA
Breakout pitching prospect Quinn Mathews was promoted from Class AA Springfield to Class AAA Memphis after he posted a 2.41 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 52â…“ innings in Class AA. The promotion for Mathews, 23, is his third this season.
The left-handed starter and 2023 fourth-round pick leads owned an 8-3 record, a 2.27 ERA and an MiLB-leading 180 strikeouts through 126â…” innings across three levels of minor league baseball at the time of his promotion.
Mathews, a Futures Game participant this summer, debuted in Class Low-A this year to begin his minor league career, reached Class High-A by the middle of May and moved up to Class AA by the end of June.