Whit Merrifield officially announced his retirement today, through his agency Warner Sports Management. In his statement, he cited the birth of his child last year as a reason to hang up the cleats, saying “I’d much rather chase around a toddler than chase sliders.” Merrifield also addressed all the fan bases he played in front of, saying that Kansas City “became a second home to my family and I.”
The 36-year-old ends his career as a three-time All-Star with 1,249 career hits and a lifetime line of .280/.328/.413. He has a lot of blank ink on his Baseball Reference page, leading the league in:
Games played (2019, 2020, 2021)
At-bats (2019, 2020, 2021)
Hits (2018, 2019)
Doubles (2021)
Triples (2019)
Stolen bases (2017, 2018, 2021)
Sacrifice Flies (2021)
Originally a ninth round pick in the 2010 draft after being a College World Series star at South Carolina, Merrifield had mixed results in the minors initially. In 2014, he hit .340 for the Omaha Storm Chasers, but failed to get called up for the Royals’ pennant run. He was passed over again the next year when Alex Gordon injured his groin. But that only fueled a fire in Merrifield that would drive him to a nine-year playing career.
Merrifield made his MLB debut in May of 2016 and immediately became a sparkplug and fan favorite, filling in all over the field and stealing bases left and right. Seven of his first 12 games were multi-hit games. He hit .339 over his first 27 games. He would eventually stabilize a second base position that the Royals had long sought and answer for, but he didn’t balk when the Royals eventually asked him to move back to the outfield later in his career.
Merrifield would encounter flak from the fanbase when he refused to get vaccinated for COVID-19, required for a trip to Toronto, then compounded things by saying he might get vaccinated for a “team that has a chance to go play in Canada in the postseason.” He was traded later that season, ironically to Toronto, where he indeed get vaccinated, enjoying his only post-season experiences in both 2022 and 2023. Merrifield spent last year with the Phillies and Braves, hitting .222/.311/.314 in 95 games.
Merrifield has the following ranks in Royals club history:
19th in games played (863)
14th in runs scored (503)
14th in hits (1,001)
11th in doubles (215)
7th in stolen bases (174)
17th in position player rWAR (16.8)
Merrifield may have a mixed legacy in Kansas City due to the way he ended things, but in his prime he was a treat to watch, a dirtbag who would do anything to win. He looked like an average Joe out there maximizing the most of his abilities through sheer will. Hopefully, fans forgive him and embrace him for his next stop – the Royals Hall of Fame.
