San Diego Padres Outfielder Jackson Merrill the new National League Rookie of the Year favorite

San Diego Padres centerfielder Jackson Merrill is the new favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award, passing Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes in the market.

Merrill is now -150 to win the award.

Skenes, who was the -270 favorite ahead of the All-Star break, is now +125 after five straight outings with two runs allowed or more.

Like Skenes, Merrill made the NL All-Star team, and he has been consistent for most of the season. The 21-year-old outfielder is slashing .291/.322/.491 with 45 extra base hits and 13 stolen bases.

Since the break, Merrill has a 1.023 OPS, 35 hits and 23 runs, and his team is 21-7 in 28 games. He has four triples in that span, and three games with three or more hits.

In advanced stats, Merrill ranks 30th in weighted on-base average - which measures how effectively and often a player gets on base - at .345. His strikeout rate of 17.8 percent is 42nd in MLB, and his 56.9 percent swing percentage is the ninth-highest in the league.

The Padres are tied for second place with the Arizona Diamondbacks with the NL West, with each team four games back from the first-placed Los Angeles Dodgers.

San Diego is on pace for a playoff berth as they currently hold the second Wild Card spot. They're four games ahead of the Atlanta Braves, who hold the third and final spot, which gives the Southern California club a bit of breathing room heading into the final stretch.

The Padres have series against the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants (twice), Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox, and the Dodgers and D-Backs remaining on their schedule.

Many of those teams are still fighting for playoff spots, so if Merrill produces late in the season, it could help boost his Rookie of the Year case.

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Odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.