Whit Merrifield

Position: OF
Born: 1/24/1989
Height: 6'1
Weight: 175
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Drafted in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft (KCR).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .278 in 36 games at Omaha (Triple-A) with five homers, 17 RBIs and 16 steals (caught stealing just once).

Info & MLB Debut Date
Contract purchased from Omaha (Triple-A) May 18 (between games of a doubleheader) when IF Christian Colon was sent down and OF Jose Martinez was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
MLB Debut Date: 5/18/2016

Debut Details
May 18, in a 5-2 loss to the Red Sox in the nightcap of a doubleheader. Batting ninth and playing left field, he went 1-for-3 with a strikeout. After flying out in in first at-bat in the third inning, Merrifield picked up his first big league hit with a single to left field off starter David Price in the fifth. In his final at-bat in the eighth inning, he struck out swinging against Price.

Player Notes
While it may be a little too early to call Merrifield a power hitter, his five homers at Omaha in his first 36 games of 2016 equaled his tally there in 135 games in 2015, when he hit .265 with 38 RBIs, 32 steals and 29 doubles. In 2014, between Northwest Arkansas (Double-A) and Omaha, he batted .319 with eight homers, 49 RBIs and 16 steals along with 41 doubles, including a .340 batting average in 76 games at Omaha that summer. Known in particular for his strike zone discipline, he continued to come on as a more dangerous hitter.