Biographical

Portrait of Whit Merrifield

Whit Merrifield 2BRoyals

Royals Player Cards | Royals Team Audit | Royals Depth Chart

2019 Projections (Preseason PECOTA - seasonal age 30)
PA AVG HR R RBI SB DRC+ WARP
Login or Subscribe today for access to projections!
Birth Date1-24-1989
Height6' 1"
Weight195 lbs
Age35 years, 2 months, 26 days
BatsR
ThrowsR
2015
0.92016
2.92017
4.42018
3.12019
proj
WARP Summary

MLB Statistics

YEAR TEAM AGE G PA H 2B 3B HR BB SO HBP SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ DRAA BRR FRAA BWARP
2016 KCA 27 81 332 88 22 3 2 19 72 0 8 3 .283 .323 .392 87 -4.3 -0.2 4.7 0.9
2017 KCA 28 145 630 169 32 6 19 29 88 6 34 8 .288 .324 .460 113 12.1 1.7 -2.0 2.9
2018 KCA 29 158 707 192 43 3 12 61 114 6 45 10 .304 .367 .438 119 18.7 3.5 2.7 4.4
2019 KCA 30 162 735 206 41 10 16 45 126 5 20 10 .303 .348 .463 110 12.8 -1.9 1.3 3.0
Career546240465513822491544001710731.296.344.44511039.33.26.711.2

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.
YEAR Team Lg LG G PA oppAVG oppOBP oppSLG BABIP BPF BRAA repLVL POS_ADJ DRC+ DRC+ SD FRAA BRR DRAA BWARP
2010 BUR A MDW 47 209 .260 .336 .386 .294 103 -0.6 6.1 -0.5 91 0 4.5 1.5 -1.9 1.0
2011 WIL A+ CAR 126 547 .247 .318 .370 .310 95 1 16.4 -1.6 113 0 4.6 2.1 6.5 2.8
2012 WIL A+ CAR 101 440 .255 .323 .388 .292 89 7.2 13.2 -1.7 105 0 1.9 3.2 2.2 1.9
2012 NWA AA TEX 24 106 .253 .318 .384 .312 100 -3.8 2.9 -0.1 80 0 -0.1 0.0 -2.1 0.1
2012 SUR Wnt AFL 19 78 .000 .000 .000 .271 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2013 NWA AA TEX 94 353 .252 .315 .390 .318 102 0.7 9.6 -2 105 0 13.4 -2.1 -6.4 1.3
2014 NWA AA TEX 44 190 .249 .320 .375 .305 96 10.5 5.2 -0.3 124 0 1.0 -0.2 1.4 0.8
2014 OMA AAA PCL 76 345 .277 .341 .435 .394 97 15.2 10.3 -2.7 115 0 -2.1 2.9 3.9 1.2
2015 OMA AAA PCL 135 594 .272 .335 .408 .292 101 -12.7 16.4 -2.4 77 0 10.7 6.0 -23.6 0.7
2016 KCA MLB AL 81 332 .255 .315 .414 .361 105 -2.5 9.4 -0.8 87 12 4.7 -0.2 -4.3 0.9
2016 OMA AAA PCL 69 304 .265 .331 .402 .302 90 6.9 8.5 -1.3 103 0 0.0 1.5 -3.4 0.5
2017 KCA MLB AL 145 630 .257 .320 .430 .308 103 8.3 18.4 -1.3 113 7 -2.0 1.7 12.1 2.9
2017 OMA AAA PCL 9 37 .271 .334 .444 .393 117 5.8 1.1 -0.1 169 0 0.2 -1.3 3.3 0.3
2018 KCA MLB AL 158 707 .250 .319 .420 .352 103 16.8 19.8 -1.9 119 8 2.7 3.5 18.7 4.4
2019 KCA MLB AL 162 735 .253 .319 .432 .350 101 16.9 22.2 -4.2 110 9 1.3 -1.9 12.8 3.0

Statistics For All Levels

Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.
Year Team lvl LG PA AB R H 2B 3B HR TB RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG ISO SF SH
2010 BUR A MDW 209 186 24 47 8 3 5 76 26 15 42 5 3 .253 .313 .409 .156 4 4
2011 WIL A+ CAR 547 477 74 125 30 3 5 176 36 52 89 24 14 .262 .337 .369 .107 4 10
2012 SUR Wnt AFL 78 68 15 17 1 0 1 21 8 10 8 9 1 .250 .346 .309 .059 0 0
2012 WIL A+ CAR 440 380 59 98 20 3 8 148 36 41 69 25 5 .258 .333 .389 .132 5 10
2012 NWA AA TEX 106 96 12 25 2 1 1 32 8 8 19 3 2 .260 .314 .333 .073 1 1
2013 NWA AA TEX 353 322 31 87 20 5 3 126 43 22 57 17 7 .270 .319 .391 .121 2 5
2014 NWA AA TEX 190 162 22 45 13 1 5 75 20 22 27 5 4 .278 .366 .463 .185 1
2014 OMA AAA PCL 345 321 57 109 28 3 3 152 29 17 52 11 7 .340 .373 .474 .134 3
2015 OMA AAA PCL 594 544 83 144 29 5 5 198 38 39 66 32 9 .265 .317 .364 .099 3 4
2016 OMA AAA PCL 304 274 46 73 19 0 8 116 29 22 55 20 2 .266 .321 .423 .157 4 2
2016 KCA MLB AL 332 311 44 88 22 3 2 122 29 19 72 8 3 .283 .323 .392 .109 1 1
2017 KCA MLB AL 630 587 80 169 32 6 19 270 78 29 88 34 8 .288 .324 .460 .172 7 1
2017 OMA AAA PCL 37 34 6 14 4 0 3 27 9 1 4 1 1 .412 .432 .794 .382 1 0
2018 KCA MLB AL 707 632 88 192 43 3 12 277 60 61 114 45 10 .304 .367 .438 .134 6 2
2019 KCA MLB AL 735 681 105 206 41 10 16 315 74 45 126 20 10 .303 .348 .463 .160 4 0

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr% CSAA
2016 1253 0.4852 0.4709 0.7949 0.5888 0.3597 0.8883 0.6509 0.2051 0.0000
2017 2365 0.4922 0.5019 0.8231 0.6624 0.3464 0.8872 0.7043 0.1769 0.0000
2018 2723 0.4778 0.4752 0.8091 0.6564 0.3094 0.8665 0.6977 0.1909 0.0000
2019 2761 0.4900 0.4911 0.7972 0.6585 0.3303 0.8575 0.6817 0.2028 0.0000
Career91020.48630.48640.80720.64930.33230.87210.68810.19280.0000

Injury History  —  No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On Date Off Transaction Days Games Side Body Part Injury Severity Surgery Date Reaggravation
2014-05-20 2014-05-31 Minors 11 0 Left Wrist Sprain -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2025 PHI $1,000,000
2024 PHI $7,000,000
2023 TOR $2,750,000
2022 KCA $7,000,000
2021 KCA $6,750,000
2020 KCA $5,000,000
2019 KCA $1,000,000
2018 KCA $569,500
2017 KCA $
2016 KCA $
YearsDescriptionSalary
6 yrPrevious$23,069,500
2019Current$7,000,000
7 yrPvs + Cur$30,069,500
1 yrFuture$1,000,000
8 yrTotal$31,069,500

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
7 y 101 dWarner Sports1 year/$8M (2024), 2025 option

Details
  • 1 year/$8M (2024), plus 2025 club option. Signed by Philadelphia as a free agent 2/16/24. 24:$7M, 25:$8M club option ($1M buyout). Performance bonuses.
  • 4 years/$16.25M (2019-22), plus 2023 club option. 19:$1M, 20:$5M, 21:$6.75M, 22:$2.75M, 23:$6.5M club option ($750,000 buyout). 2021-23 salaries may increase $1M each under a point system based on awards and plate appearances in 2019-20, with $200,000 for 0.5 points and $100,000 each for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 points. (0.5 points for 1,200 PAs, 1 point each for 1,400 PAs or Gold Glove, 2 points each for All Star, Silver Slugger or finishing 11th-15th in MVP vote. 3 points each for finishing sixth-10th in MVP vote. 4 points for finishing second-fifth in MVP vote. 5 points for winning MVP.) 2024 option increases by $4M to $10.5M if Merrifield does not spend more than 109 days on injured list in 2019-22. Performance bonuses: may earn additional $1.6M in 2019-22 and $0.4M in 2023. Under contract's original salary escalators, Merrifield's performance increased 2022 salary to $3.25M and price of 2023 buyout to $7M. Contract restructured 4/6/22, with Kansas City agreeing to: 1) increase 2022 salary to $7M, 2) guarantee 2023 option at $2.75M, 3) increase 2023 salary by up to $4M if Merrifield spends 109 days or less on the injured list in 2022), 4) Add 2024 mutual option at price of $18M ($500,000 buyout). Acquired by Toronto in trade from Kansas City 8/2/22 with $5,711,539 remaining on contract ($2,461,539 in 2022 salary, $2.75M base in 2023 and $500,000 buyout).
  • 1 year/$569,500 (2018). Re-signed by Kansas City 3/18.
  • 1 year (2017). Re-signed by Kansas City 2/17.
  • 1 year (2016). Contract selected by Kansas City 5/18/16.
  • Drafted by Kansas City 2010 (9-269) (South Carolina). $100,000 signing bonus.

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ VORP FRAA WARP
90o 40 10 2 0 1 3 7 2 1 .278 .333 .417 123 2.8 RF 0, 2B 0 0.0
80o 28 8 2 0 1 2 5 2 0 .320 .370 .520 118 1.7 RF 0, 2B 0 0.0
70o 18 4 1 0 0 1 3 1 0 .250 .294 .312 114 1.0 RF 0, 2B 0 0.0
60o 10 3 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 .333 .400 .444 111 0.5 RF 0, 2B 0 0.0
50o 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .333 .333 .333 108 0.1 RF 0, 2B 0 0.0
Weighted Mean310000100.333.333.3331080.2RF 0, 2B 00.0

The rest of this card is restricted to Baseball Prospectus Subscribers.

Not a subscriber? Click here for a free card so you can see what's missing.

Click here for more information on Baseball Prospectus subscriptions or to subscribe and get instant access to the best baseball content on the web.

BP Annual Player Comments

The rest of this card is restricted to Baseball Prospectus Subscribers.

Not a subscriber? Click here for a free card so you can see what's missing.

Click here for more information on Baseball Prospectus subscriptions or to subscribe and get instant access to the best baseball content on the web.

BP Articles

Click here to see articles tagged with Whit Merrifield

BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2019-07-19 12:00:00 (link to chat)Jeffrey, what does peak Carter Kieboom look like?
(The Colonel from Pasadena, CA)		.290ish, 15-20 home runs, 40 doubles, good middle infield defense probably at second. Weirdly sounds like Whit Merrifield I know. (Jeffrey Paternostro)
2019-07-22 15:00:00 (link to chat)When Dayton Moore says he expects a "quick rebuild" is it because HE is stupid or because he thinks the FANS are stupid?
(Mr. Fister from Arlington)		Both? He probably doesn't want to say that it's going to take a long time even if he believes that it will deep down, and the Royals have had what look like some fairly productive drafts. If he's trying to convince himself or anyone else that Bobby Witt is going to be in the majors while Whit Merrifield's still around, I'm not sure what to tell him. (Darius Austin)
2018-06-29 13:00:00 (link to chat)Are the Royals just stuck? MJ Melendez (love this kid's game!), Seuly Matias, and Khali Lee look like legitimate prospects, but their major league roster seems short on assets to ship out in exchange for quality young talent. Their prospect stable seems so far behind everyone else's.
(George from Columbus)		It's still a shallow system, yeah, but it's got impact talent at the top now which is an improvement and Singer and Kowar at least have some upside as college pitchers go. Maybe you get someone to bite on Whit Merrifield too, but yeah this is more a draft rebuild than a sell of rebuild, fortunately (?) they have another high pick for next year just about banked. (Jeffrey Paternostro)
2018-06-22 13:00:00 (link to chat)Do you think Nicky Lopez can be an average regular for the Royals, and if so, how soon?
(dave from bama)		We had a spirited discussion on Lopez last offseason in the context of the Royals list and he definitely had his backers. With the way he's hit at Double-A he may just be awaiting a Whit Merrifield deal. (Jeffrey Paternostro)
2018-07-26 12:00:00 (link to chat)Is Tony Kemp a player you could see the Astros moving? Would he become a full time player? Would he succeed?
(Roger from New York)		Absolutely I do, and I'm not sure he'd be a full-timer on most teams. I wasn't super high on him when I wrote him up for this year's Baseball Prospectus Annual, but I love how he's reaching base this season. He could be a fun fit for the Royals if Whit Merrifield moves on, and could definitely start for the Marlins. Regardless, I enjoy watching him play because of his combo of skills. (Bryan Grosnick)
2018-01-11 13:00:00 (link to chat)Who would the Mets have to give up for both Ian Kennedy and Whit Merrifield? Obviously this won’t happen as the Mets don’t even operate like a middle market team, but wouldn’t it make too much sense? Take on a below average, but over paid innings eater (on a team where innings are very valuable) for a second baseman with a lot of surplus value.
(Dan from NU)		I mean Kennedy was awful last year. The general idea isn't bad, but if Kennedy was just below-average, the contract wouldn't be onerous enough to be worth moving. And of course as we all know the Mets have plenty of starting pitching, just ask them. (Jeffrey Paternostro)


BP Roundtables

No BP Roundtables have mentioned this guy.

 

PITCHf/x Hitter Profile

A Collaboration between BrooksBaseball.net and Baseball Prospectus - Pitch classifications provided by Pitch Info LLC