BALTIMORE — Maryland's own baseball phenom, Jackson Merrill, just landed a nine-year contract extension with the San Diego Padres for a whopping $135 million.
The outfielder is only 21-years-of age, and is already in his second big league season.
He attended Severna Park High School before the Padres selected him 27th overall in the 2021 Amateur Draft.
Making his Major League debut in 2024, Merrill made the All Star team launching 24 home runs, knocking in 90 runs, with a .292 batting average.
The impressive stat line earned Merrill second place in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Last season WMAR-2 News caught up with Merrill's family and friends, who came to Camden Yards to watch the Padres play the Orioles.
MORE: Severna Park’s Jackson Merrill returns home to play at Camden Yards
"It's a surreal moment," Merrill's mother Jennie told us at the time. "Anything you can imagine you want your son to accomplish, he's accomplishing it as a baseball player," added his dad, Joshua.
The proud parents had this to say about all the support Merrill's received from his hometown.
"A lot of love and support has been poured and a lot of interest - and our hope is this really promotes interest in a lot of kids in baseball, really promotes for them to have a love in the game."
Merrill finished that July game going 2-4 at the plate, with an RBI, despite a Padres loss.
