Whit Merrifield, baseball player, 2016-2024

Whit Merrifield

Born: 1/24/1989 in Florence, SC, USA

MLB Debut: 2016-05-18 | Final Game: 2024-09-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Whitley David Merrifield

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Whit Merrifield, born in 1989, was a prominent position player who made his mark in Major League Baseball from 2016 until his retirement on September 30, 2024. Known for his versatility and consistent offensive production, Merrifield played 1,147 games, accumulating 1,249 hits and posting a robust batting average of .280. Over his career, he demonstrated a rare combination of power and speed, hitting 94 home runs and driving in 485 runs while stealing 218 bases. His ability to impact games in multiple ways made him a valuable asset to his teams, particularly during his time with the Kansas City Royals. Merrifield's exceptional performance earned him three All-Star selections, highlighting his status as one of the top players of his era. His playing style was characterized by a high contact rate and a knack for getting on base, which allowed him to thrive in various batting orders and lineup situations. As a player active during a transitional period in baseball, Merrifield's achievements contributed to the evolving narrative of the game, showcasing the importance of speed and versatility in a modern context. He left behind a legacy of professionalism and competitiveness that resonated with fans and aspiring athletes alike.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1147 4467 632 1249 256 29 94 485 218 315 774 0.280 0.328 0.413 0.741 634.0

Career AVG .280 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — +12.5% above league average.

Career OBP .328 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .413 vs. league average .414 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.741 vs. league average 0.732 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
2016 KCR AL 81 311 44 88 22 3 2 29 8 19 72 0.283 .255 (+11%) .321 (+1%) .417 (-6%) .738 (-3%) -212.0
2017 KCR AL 145 587 80 169 32 6 19 78 34 29 88 0.288 .254 (+13%) .324 (avg) .425 (+8%) .750 (+5%) 375.5
2018 KCR AL 158 632 88 192 43 3 12 60 45 61 114 0.304 .247 (+23%) .318 (+15%) .409 (+7%) .727 (+11%) 1503.7
2019 KCR AL 162 681 105 206 41 10 16 74 20 45 126 0.302 .252 (+20%) .322 (+8%) .434 (+6%) .757 (+7%) 957.1
2020 KCR AL 60 248 38 70 12 0 9 30 12 12 33 0.282 .244 (+15%) .321 (+1%) .417 (+5%) .739 (+3%) 123.3
2021 KCR AL 162 664 97 184 42 3 10 74 40 40 103 0.277 .243 (+14%) .317 (avg) .410 (-4%) .727 (-2%) -488.6
2022 KCR AL 95 383 51 92 23 1 6 42 15 30 61 0.240 .242 (-1%) .311 (-7%) .394 (-11%) .706 (-9%) -713.9
2022 TOR AL 44 121 19 34 5 0 5 16 1 8 24 0.281 .242 (+16%) .311 (+4%) .394 (+13%) .706 (+9%) -713.9
2023 TOR AL 145 547 66 149 27 0 11 67 26 36 101 0.272 .248 (+10%) .320 (-1%) .414 (-8%) .734 (-5%) -556.6
2024 PHI NL 53 156 21 31 4 1 3 11 11 15 19 0.199 .243 (-18%) .312 (-11%) .399 (-26%) .711 (-20%) -497.2
2024 ATL NL 42 137 23 34 5 2 1 4 6 20 33 0.248 .243 (+2%) .312 (+12%) .399 (-16%) .711 (-4%) -497.2

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 2 1 0 0 18.00 0

Career ERA 18.00 vs. league average 3.97 across their career seasons — 353.6% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
2022 TOR AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 2 0 0 18.00 — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.167

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2023 ALWC2 TOR 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.000
2022 ALWC2 TOR 2 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 15 10 82 6 1 11
2B 772 717 1251 1865 51 479
3B 19 11 12 28 2 6
OF 393 339 708 16 6 2
P 1 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2016 KCA 1B 1 1 9 0 0 1
2016 KCA 2B 65 55 92 156 4 39
2016 KCA 3B 5 3 1 8 1 2
2016 KCA OF 16 14 28 3 0 2
2017 KCA 1B 1 0 3 0 0 0
2017 KCA 2B 132 131 232 341 11 93
2017 KCA 3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
2017 KCA OF 16 12 23 1 1 0
2018 KCA 1B 5 5 38 1 0 4
2018 KCA 2B 108 107 175 287 6 71
2018 KCA OF 39 35 98 1 1 0
2019 KCA 1B 5 4 25 5 1 5
2019 KCA 2B 82 76 154 222 8 61
2019 KCA OF 77 73 155 5 2 0
2020 KCA 1B 1 0 3 0 0 1
2020 KCA 2B 15 10 20 36 2 11
2020 KCA OF 51 50 95 1 1 0
2021 KCA 2B 149 147 283 382 8 103
2021 KCA OF 20 13 28 1 0 0
2022 KCA 2B 61 54 94 134 4 39
2022 KCA OF 39 36 84 1 0 0
2022 TOR 1B 2 0 4 0 0 0
2022 TOR 2B 22 18 26 50 0 8
2022 TOR OF 23 16 34 0 0 0
2022 TOR P 1 0 0 0 0 0
2023 TOR 2B 84 67 104 143 4 29
2023 TOR OF 87 70 131 1 1 0
2024 PHI 2B 14 12 25 18 2 6
2024 PHI 3B 12 8 10 19 1 4
2024 PHI OF 25 20 32 2 0 0
2024 ATL 2B 40 40 46 96 2 19
2024 ATL 3B 1 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 1
First Base 15
Second Base 772
Third Base 19
Left Field 144
Center Field 88
Right Field 181
Designated Hitter 31

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2018 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 6.0 420 0