Why the Royals are hedging about making Whit Merrifield a full-time outfielder
Offensive catalyst and leadoff hitter Whit Merrifield will continue to play multiple positions if the Kansas City Royals think that’s what they need him to do in order to win.
But is it what the Royals need?
That question will be one the Royals’ brain trust must sort through as it evaluates the club following a truncated 2020 season. The answer really doesn’t hinge on Merrifield’s play. It depends largely on the collective performance of Nicky Lopez and Adalberto Mondesi.
When asked about preparing to play the outfield full-time in 2021, Merrifield said, “I don’t know. Maybe that’s a conversation we’ll have this offseason. I’m a versatile player, but wherever I’m at I’ve got to be a better defender. I need to get better at doing certain things.
“Hopefully, we can figure something out and figure out where I’ll be. But if they want me to keep bouncing around, I’ll keep bouncing around. I just want to win some games. That’s what it comes down to, I just want to win some games. I’m tired of going home in late September, early October. I love my wife, but I’m tired of going home that early.”
Late this season, as Lopez seemingly settled in second base, it appeared fairly clear that Merrifield’s days as a super-utility defensive Swiss Army knife might finally have subsided in favor of an everyday role as an outfielder.
Merrifield, who posted a slash line of .282/.325/.440 with nine home runs, 30 RBIs and 12 stolen bases this season, started his last 18 games in the outfield and he moved to second base just twice in that span. Overall, he started 50 of 60 games in the outfield (28 in right field).
At the same time, the age-old adage about building your team around strong defense up the middle took shape for the Royals.
Gold Glove catcher Salvador Perez returned from surgery last year to take his place behind the plate, while Mondesi made game-changing plays at shortstop and Lopez showed he can have a significant impact at second base. Lopez and Mondesi also seemed to develop great chemistry as a double-play combination.
As Hunter Dozier moved from right field to first base late in the season, it opened up right field for Merrifield.
Royals manager Mike Matheny described Merrifield’s play in right field as “exceptional.” However, Matheny undoubtedly also coveted Merrifield’s versatility and the flexibility it created.
Each day, when Matheny filled out his “secondary lineup” — the list of contingencies and moves he’d make if necessary for that day’s game — Merrifield’s ability to play everywhere opened up myriad possibilities.
At the same time, Matheny has been a big supporter of Lopez and repeatedly touted him as a Gold Glove-caliber defender at second base.
“Nicky to me has taken advantage of the opportunity we’ve given him to shine defensively,” Matheny said. “I haven’t seen a better defensive second baseman in the league. Talk about the importance of a team like ours to have exceptional defense up the middle, between him and Mondi, that’s exactly what you have.”
Lopez led all second baseman in the majors in defensive runs saved, as calculated by FanGraphs.com. He also turned the second-most double plays of any second baseman in the American League and ranked second among AL second baseman in range factor/per game, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
Inconsistency on offense may prevent the Royals from penciling in the Mondesi-Lopez pairing as their middle-infield combination of the future.
“We love the combination of Mondesi and Lopez, especially defensively,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. “I think we all recognize that there’s a lot of range, talent, athleticism, creativity, with those two. They’re able to make plays. I think that’s really important.
“We also all understand from watching our team play and from knowing baseball, you’ve got to have production from those spots. You can’t have a period of time when you’re not getting production out of shortstop and second base. You can live with one or the other struggling offensively, but not both.”
Through his first 30 games, Mondesi struggled to the tune of a .213/.234/.278 slash line before a late-season renaissance . Mondesi’s struggles hurt the Royals and changed their offense in their own right. As Moore pointed out, they were only compounded by Lopez’s continued growing pains.
Lopez, who made his MLB debut in 2019, still hasn’t found his footing at the plate in the majors. Known for a high contact rate and on-base percentage in the minors, Lopez slashed .201/.286/.266 this season with a strikeout rate of 21.4 percent. He never struck out at a clip higher than 11.5 percent in the minors.
The Royals still believe in Lopez’s ability to improve as he gets familiar with the big leagues.
“We’re prepared to give him more time,” Moore said.
How much more time Lopez needs, and whether Mondesi can remain consistent offensively, may determine if Merrifield’s days as an infielder are done.
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Why the Royals are hedging about making Whit Merrifield a full-time outfielder."
