duncan_idaho |
07-30-2021 03:39 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by OKchiefs
(Post 15763696)
IF Whit declines next year? Whit has been in decline every year since 2018. His SB are back up again, but as a hitter he’s no longer one of the best in the league. I really don’t care all that much that Whit wasn’t traded because the trade should have happened 2 years ago, at this point the return wouldn’t have been much.
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2017: .288/.324/.460
2018: .304/.367/.438
2019: .302/.348/. 463
2020+2021 (full season): .277/.322/.417
You could easily argue Merrifield's 2019 was more valuable than 2018, because he hit for more power and had a higher OPS.
As for what he is now... He is in the midst of a fairly bad slump that is dragging his 21 line down (On the heels of a white-hot June).
His peripherals and statcast items don't show any real signs of physical decline (exit velo and sprint speed, for example, still in line with earlier years).
He's hitting a higher percentage of ground balls, but not drastically so. Will be interesting to monitor over the rest of the season.
I'm disappointed the Royals couldn't match up on a deal with somebody. It does take 2 to tango, which is the reason he hadn't been traded before this year. Timing, right? Transplant this trade market to 2018 or 2019, and I think some team makes the offer that leads KC to trade him.
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