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Royals Report: 5 Things About Ian Kennedy Slump Buster

By John Viril

Jun 26, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals player Kendrys Morales (25) celebrates with teammate Paulo Orlando (16) after hitting a solo home run against the Houston Astros during the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals player Kendrys Morales (25) celebrates with teammate Paulo Orlando (16) after hitting a solo home run against the Houston Astros during the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 26, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals third basemen Cheslor Cuthbert (19) celebrates with teammates Alcides Escobar (2) and Whit Merrifield (15) after hitting a two-run home run against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals third basemen Cheslor Cuthbert (19) celebrates with teammates Alcides Escobar (2) and Whit Merrifield (15) after hitting a two-run home run against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /

4) Whit Merrifield’s Consistency Is Impressive

I can’t really say enough about how much Whit Merrifield has meant to the KC Royals this season. I feel very strongly that the team would be under .500 without his unexpected development in the 2016 season.

More from KC Royals News

Rather than another terrible season from Omar Infante, Whit Merrifield has turned the second base position into a strength. Merrifield has helped make up for losing Mike Moustakas for the season to a torn ACL, and poor starts from Alex Gordon and Kendrys Morales.

The fact is, Merrifield has played good defense, run the bases, and showed more pop than expected. But, what impresses me the most about him is his consistency. Merrifield is getting on base almost every game, notching hits in each one of his home starts and nine of his last 10 games.

For the first time in more than a decade, Merrifield is giving the Kansas City Royals a true lead-off hitter. Let’s just hope he can keep it up, even as we recognize he’s probably not going to keep hitting .321 for the rest of the season due to his .382 BABIP.

Next: Lorenzo Cain

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