Kansas City Royals: Speedy Whit Merrifield tied for AL Stolen Base lead

With Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield’s stolen base against the Chicago White Sox today, he joined two other players at the top of the American League leader board in stolen bases.

Whit Merrifield was rumored to be one of the Kansas City Royals players set to be traded before the July non-waiver trade deadline. Instead, the Royals hung onto him. He stole a base in the Royals loss to the Chicago White Sox today, for a total of 27 on the season.

He has undoubtedly been a bright spot in the Kansas City Royals lineup this season. He’s slashing .303/.372/.426 on the 2018 season. As far as steals are concerned, he is 27 of 34 attempts.

Sharing the Lead

Merrifield is not alone at the top of the list. He is currently sharing the lead with Dee Gordon of the Seattle Mariners and Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Indians. Gordon has attempted 36 times, and Ramirez has attempted 32.

Close behind the leaders is Mallex Smith from the Tampa Bay Rays is Mallex Smith with 26.

In the National League, Trea Turner of the Washington Nationals is the leader with 32 steals. Both the Cincinnati Reds Billy Hamilton and the Pittsburgh Pirates Starling Marte also have a higher number of steals than the American League leaders, with 29 and 28, respectively.

Is this important?

The Kansas City Royals lost again today, which is bad news. It’s especially frustrating considering the fact that they blew a six run league and lost by one.

Because of that, and because the season has been so disappointing, this seems like it means nothing. But, to see a player like Whit Merrifield playing so well is a small victory.

The question remains, though, if he will be traded. Whit Merrifield may end up on a different team in 2019. What do you think, Royals fans? Will Merrifield be traded away before 2019? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!