Kansas City Royals: Second Base Competition for 2017

WHIT MERRIFIELD

Whit Merrifield was a fun story last season. Finally called up to the major leagues at age 27, Merrifield grabbed fans’ attention right off the bat (no pun intended).

He had one hell of a rookie season on both sides and I feel like he could be an every day second baseman for the Kansas City Royals in 2017.

He was nicknamed Two-Hit Whit for his ability to collect hits and plate RBI as a MLB rookie. Merrifield was also pretty good at second base, posting a WAR of 1.7 and a UZR of 6.2.

It appeared that the Royals had something special with Merrifield last season, but he dropped off immensely offensively during the season and was sent back down to Omaha in late July. Once he returned to Kansas City in September, he and Mondesi rotated time at second base.

Out of all of the candidates for the second base job, Whit Merrifield would get my vote. He was the best at the plate and was impressive at the bag too. He had one hell of a rookie season on both sides and I feel like he could be an every day second baseman for the Kansas City Royals in 2017.

Merrifield is a huge asset to the Royals because of his ability to play second base and just about any spot in the outfield. While I don’t see him being used much in the outfield on a regular basis, that could have something to do with why he wouldn’t win the starting job at second.