Who is your MLB team’s unsung hero so far this season
By Brad Weiss
Kansas City Royals: Whit Merrifield
It is hard to see the fall that the Kansas City Royals franchise has taken, as they were as recently as 2015 in the World Series. Unfortunately for the fan base, the organization could not afford to keep all of those players from that roster, and only three years later, they are one of the worst teams in baseball.
Guys like Erik Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and Lorenzo Cain are all gone, with Cain and Moustakas joining up for a playoff run with the Milwaukee Brewers. For Royals fans, they will have to watch their former heroes go for another World Series title in a different uniform, and wonder what could have been if the team could have stayed in tact.
In 2018, the Royals have failed to play consistent baseball throughout, and are one of the worst teams in the worst division in all of baseball. One shining star through it all has been Whit Merrifield, who despite depth in the lineup, is putting in a good season at the dish.
Merrifield is 29-years old, and was a ninth round pick of the Royals way back in 2010. It took him six years to make his Major League debut, but in 2017, he put himself on the map by leading the American League in stolen bases. He is a .289 career hitter, and the 2018 campaign may be his best ever.
This season, Merrifield has improved on the solid .288 clip from a year ago, as he is inching towards his first .300 season at .295. His power numbers are down, but he has performed all season for the Royals, and really should get more publicity than he does nationally.