Jackson Merrill reacts as Padres' Joe Musgrove & girlfriend Arica Christensen recreate Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, & Tupac's iconic 'Death Row Inmates' look
Although Joe Musgrove and Jackson Merrill both would wish that their San Diego Padres made it past the NLDS, the two stars appear to be making the most of the offseason. Recently, a brilliant Halloween getup of Musgrove's on social media caught attention, including that of his teammates.
On Halloween, Musgrove took to Instagram to show off his Halloween costume alongside his girlfriend, Arica. The pitcher was dressed as the "Death Row" trio of Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Tupac. Death Row records was founded in 1991 and gained notoriety for releasing multi-platinum records for West-Coast rap artists.
Among those who rated the outfit was Musgrove's teammate on the San Diego Padres, Jackson Merrill. Merrill quoted the story on his own Instagram, endorsing the pair of costumes with a fire emoji.
Joe Musgrove and Jackson Merrill are both coming off of solid seasons for the Friars. Musgrove, 31, battled injuries but managed to make 19 starts. Across 99.2 innings pitched, Musgrove went 6-5 with a 3.88 ERA and 101 strikeouts.
For Merrill, the 2024 season was even better. His first in MLB, the 21-year-old recorded his first career MLB RBI against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the MLB Seoul Series in March. The Maryland native finished the season with a .292 average to complement his 24 home runs and 90 RBIs.
While Musgrove is experimenting with creative Halloween costumes, Merrill is also enjoying the offseason. Recently, he posted a picture of himself with his girlfriend taking in a Phoenix Suns home game at the Footprint Center in Arizona.
Jackson Merrill is the future of the Padres
On account of his terrific season both on the field and in the box, the Sporting News named Merrill their 2024 NL Rookie of the Year. In the aftermath, Padres manager Mike Schildt told 'SI' about his decision to take a chance on the untested rookie earlier this season:
"It just looked right, there was some internal debate about it. There was some competition still to be had. But it was pretty clear that he was going to be our center fielder."
In addition to being one of the great young talents of the game, Merrill appears to be fitting in comfortably with his teammates.