Kansas City Royals Whit Merrifield: Deep Waiver Wire Add

Whit Merrifield looks to be the new starting second basemen for the Kansas City Royals. Should owners make him an add off the waiver wire after his torrid stretch so far this season?

The Kansas City Royals are in pursuit of reaching their third straight World Series appearance, but have struggled at times this season. They have been playing better as of late, with Whit Merrifield becoming a big part of their turnaround.

Merrifield was a storied collegiate player out of South Carolina, and the Royals selected him in the ninth round in 2010.  Now that he is 27-years-old,  he really never reached the elite level of prospects, but he has proved in the minors that he can be a solid offensive player.

The Royals are pretty much set at every skill position across the diamond, yet second base has easily been their weakest spot over the last few seasons. Omar Infante had been a solid infielder for most of his career, but injuries have severely limited him. He struggled nearly his entire tenure with the Royals, forcing them to finally make the move today to designate him for assignment..

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Merrifield was promoted in May and has been utilized in more of a utility role with the team. He has played second, third and even spent time in left field, so he does carry multi-position eligibility. Second base is his best position though, and with Infante now out of the picture, the job looks to be his.

On the season he currently sits with a, .326/2 HR/7 RBI/3 SB/.845 OPS, line over 95 at bats. Merrifield’s strength has always been his compact swing and solid contact rate. He is a career. 274 AVG hitter in the minors and has never struck out more than 90 times in one season. For fantasy owners, his AVG is not the only skill he brings to the table, he has also shown solid speed output.

He has 138 career steals in the minors and had four seasons with 20+ steals, making him a potentially solid source of SB off the wire. With three steals already and now in a starting role, he should be able to offer continued value in the speed department.

Merrifield is not a power threat by any means, his career high in homers is only nine. He does not walk much either due to his consistent ability to make contact. But, with his AVG and speed potential, he shapes up to a great MI add.

Next: Gerrit Cole Headed to the D.L.

The counting stats will be there in the Royals lineup, and owners would be adding a guy that is really hitting the ball well as of late. Over the last seven games he has posted a, .346/2 HR/3 RBI/5 R/1.077 OPS line, so all signs seem to be pointing up in terms of his value. Fantasy owners should add him off the wire and slot him in either a MI or UTIL spot because his skill set is hard to come by.