Kansas City Royals – Whit Merrifield is not a flash in the pan
On paper, it appears like it could be quite the pillow fight between the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers for the bottom spot in the division. Second baseman Whit Merrifield is going to be the lone bright spot for this team as he proves his 2017 season was not a fluke. Even at the age of 29, there is potential for Merrifield to grow as a player and be even better in 2018.
Merrifield basically came out of nowhere in the past season and a half to post some fairly solid offensive numbers across the board. He hits for a high average, contributes in home runs, and doesn’t strike out a ton. Even though he is not a star by any stretch, the Royals roster is in pretty rough shape. They went all in for a World Series when they could and it did pay off with a championship in 2015. They also don’t have the resources to keep the core of their team together long-term and Merrifield is the best roster player left.
Players that breakthrough at the age Merrifield did typically don’t have a ton of staying power. Even though he’s a little older than most major leaguers entering their second full season, he’s in line for another very nice season. The Royals themselves don’t seem capable of staying in the race this season. It’s entirely possible that Kansas City could dangle him in trade talks towards the deadline. no matter what, Merrifield will have another good season to back up his breakout 2017 campaign.