Whit Merrifield
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2016-2024)
Whit Merrifield was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 2016 to 2024 for 4 teams, including the Kansas City Royals, a span of 9 seasons. In 1,147 career games, he hit .280 with 1,249 hits, 94 home runs, and 485 RBI. Whit Merrifield was a 3-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,045.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 195 lb
- MLB Debut
- 2016-05-18
- Last Game
- 2024-09-30
- Awards
- 3× All-Star
Full name: Whitley David Merrifield
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,147 | 4,467 | 632 | 1,249 | 256 | 29 | 94 | 485 | 218 | 315 | 774 | .280 | .328 | .413 | .741 | 1,045 |
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 .741 vs. league average .732 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| 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 | KCA | AL | 81 | 311 | 44 | 88 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 29 | 8 | 19 | 72 | .283 | .255 (+11%) | .321 (+1%) | .417 (-6%) | .738 (-3%) | -184.3 |
| 2017 | KCA | AL | 145 | 587 | 80 | 169 | 32 | 6 | 19 | 78 | 34 | 29 | 88 | .288 | .254 (+13%) | .324 (avg) | .425 (+8%) | .750 (+5%) | 375.5 |
| 2018 | KCA | AL | 158 | 632 | 88 | 192 | 43 | 3 | 12 | 60 | 45 | 61 | 114 | .304 | .247 (+23%) | .318 (+15%) | .409 (+7%) | .727 (+11%) | 1503.7 |
| 2019 | KCA | AL | 162 | 681 | 105 | 206 | 41 | 10 | 16 | 74 | 20 | 45 | 126 | .302 | .252 (+20%) | .322 (+8%) | .434 (+6%) | .757 (+7%) | 957.1 |
| 2020 | KCA | AL | 60 | 248 | 38 | 70 | 12 | 0 | 9 | 30 | 12 | 12 | 33 | .282 | .244 (+15%) | .321 (+1%) | .417 (+5%) | .739 (+3%) | 123.3 |
| 2021 | KCA | AL | 162 | 664 | 97 | 184 | 42 | 3 | 10 | 74 | 40 | 40 | 103 | .277 | .243 (+14%) | .317 (avg) | .410 (-4%) | .727 (-2%) | -375.8 |
| 2022 | KCA | AL | 95 | 383 | 51 | 92 | 23 | 1 | 6 | 42 | 15 | 30 | 61 | .240 | .242 (-1%) | .311 (-7%) | .394 (-11%) | .706 (-9%) | -607.1 |
| 2022 | TOR | AL | 44 | 121 | 19 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 24 | .281 | .242 (+16%) | .311 (+4%) | .394 (+13%) | .706 (+9%) | -607.1 |
| 2023 | TOR | AL | 145 | 547 | 66 | 149 | 27 | 0 | 11 | 67 | 26 | 36 | 101 | .272 | .248 (+10%) | .320 (-1%) | .414 (-8%) | .734 (-5%) | -438.8 |
| 2024 | PHI | NL | 53 | 156 | 21 | 31 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 19 | .199 | .243 (-18%) | .312 (-11%) | .399 (-26%) | .711 (-20%) | -452.8 |
| 2024 | ATL | NL | 42 | 137 | 23 | 34 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 20 | 33 | .248 | .243 (+2%) | .312 (+12%) | .399 (-16%) | .711 (-4%) | -452.8 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 1,147 | 4,467 | 632 | 1,249 | 256 | 29 | 94 | 485 | 218 | 315 | 774 | .280 | — | — | — | — | -159 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| 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 |
| Career · 1 season | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18.00 | — | 0 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1148 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 573 | 2191 | 317 | 613 | 40 | 229 | .280 |
| Away | 574 | 2276 | 315 | 636 | 54 | 256 | .279 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18.00 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-30 | ATL | NYN | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-09-19 | ATL | CIN | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024-09-18 | ATL | CIN | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2024-09-17 | ATL | CIN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2024-09-16 | ATL | LAD | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-09-15 | ATL | LAD | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2024-09-14 | ATL | LAD | W | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-09-13 | ATL | LAD | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024-09-06 | ATL | TOR | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024-09-03 | ATL | COL | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Last 1 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-08-26 | TOR | LAA | — | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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
Circle size = games played at each 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 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Whit Merrifield (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Whit Merrifield
Whit Merrifield: the record in brief
The profile opens with Whit Merrifield's first major league game on May 18, 2016; the last one listed came on September 30, 2024. The team column moves through the Kansas City Royals (2016 through 2022), the Toronto Blue Jays (2022 through 2023), the Philadelphia Phillies (2024), and the Atlanta Braves (2024). Born on January 24, 1989, in Florence, SC, USA, Merrifield is listed as a second baseman and threw and hit right-handed. The bio gives 195 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Merrifield's full given name, per the bio, is Whitley David Merrifield.
In 1,147 games and 4,467 at bats, Merrifield batted .280 with 1,249 hits; the totals also include 94 homers, 485 RBI, and 218 stolen bases. Merrifield got on base at a .328 rate and slugged .413 (.741 OPS). The league as a whole hit .248 across Merrifield's seasons, which puts the .280 career mark 12.5% above average. No season beat the 19 home runs Merrifield hit in 2017.
Frequently Asked Questions about Whit Merrifield
- What years did Whit Merrifield play?
- Whit Merrifield played in Major League Baseball from 2016 to 2024.
- Was Whit Merrifield a pitcher?
- No. Whit Merrifield was a position player (Second Baseman), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
- How many home runs did Whit Merrifield hit?
- Whit Merrifield hit 94 career home runs with 1,249 hits.
- What teams did Whit Merrifield play for?
- Whit Merrifield played for 4 teams: the Kansas City Royals (2016–2022), the Toronto Blue Jays (2022–2023), the Philadelphia Phillies (2024), and the Atlanta Braves (2024).
- Did Whit Merrifield win an MVP award?
- No. Whit Merrifield did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Whit Merrifield win?
- Whit Merrifield was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
- What were Whit Merrifield's career stats?
- In 1,147 games, Whit Merrifield had 1,249 hits, 94 home runs, 485 RBI, 632 runs, and 218 stolen bases, with a .280 batting average.
- What position did Whit Merrifield play?
- Whit Merrifield played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Whit Merrifield and how much did he weigh?
- Whit Merrifield was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 195 pounds.
- How many home runs did Whit Merrifield hit each season?
- Whit Merrifield's home runs by season: 2 in 2016, 19 in 2017, 12 in 2018, 16 in 2019, 9 in 2020, 10 in 2021, 11 in 2022, 11 in 2023, and 4 in 2024. His most in one season was 19, in 2017.
- What was Whit Merrifield's career batting average?
- Whit Merrifield batted .280 over his career, with 1,249 hits in 4,467 at bats.
- How many RBI did Whit Merrifield have?
- Whit Merrifield drove in 485 runs in his career.
- What was Whit Merrifield's career ERA?
- Whit Merrifield finished with a 18.00 career ERA, going 0-0 with 0 strikeouts.
- Is Whit Merrifield in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Whit Merrifield has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.