Whit Merrifield thanks Royals fans for their support Sunday: ‘What a thrill it was!’
Whit Merrifield was a ninth round pick in the 2010 draft.
In six seasons in the minor leagues, Merrifield was never part of any top prospect list compiled by Baseball America or Baseball Prospectus.
Nevertheless, Merrifield was called up to the Royals in 2016 and a year later led the American League in stolen bases.
In 2018, no player in all of Major League Baseball had more hits or stolen bases than Merrifield.
Merrifield’s persistence, hard work and success have made him a fan favorite, and led Royals general manager Dayton Moore to compare him to Pete Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader.
“What can you say about Whit Merrifield? Whit has been spectacular. The other day when we had the rain delay in Cincinnati, (Reds broadcaster) Marty Brennaman and Steve Stewart were doing an interview, I think it was taped a while back, and Marty was talking about the grit and the toughness of Pete Rose,“ Moore said Sunday while talking to Fox Sports Kansas City’s Ryan Lefebvre and Rex Hudler. “When he’d get two hits, he wanted three. When he’d get three hits, he wanted four.
“And I immediately thought of Whit Merrifield, because that’s Whit Merrifield’s mind-set to this game. He’s never satisfied, he just keeps pushing. That’s why he’s having the type of the season he is and he’s had, and it’s why he’s the type of player he is.”
Merrifield has become a fan favorite in Kansas City and he received a standing ovation Sunday at Kauffman Stadium after securing the top spot in hits and padding his stolen-bases lead:
On Monday, Merrifield took to Twitter and Instagram to return some of the love to Royals fans. He wrote on Instagram: “Thank you to everyone for all your support and kind words yesterday. What a thrill it was! Very thankful for another healthy year. Look forward to getting back to work soon so we can keep getting better and be playing in October instead of flying home!”
Here are his messages on those two social-media outlets: