Royals: Positional battle, Whit Merrifield on the move?

The Kansas City Royals all-star second baseman is an obvious choice to continue in the position, but he may see more time in the canyon at Kauffman Stadium in the future.

Whit Merrifield

Surprising right? Of course not. Whit Merrifield is the obvious go-to for “who will play second.” Though in 2019, that obvious answer started to become not so clear anymore.

Offensively, Whit had another outstanding year. He played in 162 games, recorded 206 hits, 74 RBIs, 10 triples, 41 doubles, 16 home runs and slashed .302/.348/.463. It’s easy to see that Whit Merrifield is no slouch. Whit is a valuable player for any roster, and the Royals are lucky to have him tied up on a club-friendly contract.

Along with his top-notch offense, Whit also comes with a large defensive presence that could spread across just about any position on the field. While Whit typically plays second base, he saw an increase in his outfield time this year. Whit started 76 games at second base in 2019 and started 73 in the outfield.

At second base, Whit saw a bit of a decrease in his fielding percentage, holding a .979 over those few games. While maybe a little lower than some, Whit has a habit of making plays that others typically wouldn’t make. He did fair a little better in the outfield, holding a .988 fielding percentage over all outfield positions. It’s no secret that Whit is good defensively in multiple spots though, as he is a super-utility player.

The increase in time spent in the outfield might lead one to wonder, though, if the rumors and talk of a permanent move to outfield won’t soon become reality. Whit has gained more time in the outfield year after year, and the Royals brought up a player who looks to be a possible replacement, leading us to the next second base candidate.

The young Kansas City Royals second baseman showed his defensive abilities in 2019 but didn’t start to show his offensive progress until the end of the season.

Nicky Lopez

Nicky Lopez is a fun, and interesting player to watch. Though he has some areas to work on, there is every chance that he could step in to take over at second if Whit is moved around the field.

Lopez is a good player to have around, but he needs to continue to show progress with his offense. Nicky ended the season with 103 games played, 91 hits 30 RBIs, 2 home runs, and a slash of .240/.276/.325. These numbers definitely don’t jump out at anyone, especially when compared to Merrifield.

Lopez did show progress throughout the year, though. His discipline improved as he saw his strikeout rate decrease over the course of the season. He also saw most of his offensive stats increase through August and September, holding a September slash of .289/.333/.444. Those numbers can definitely be worked with.

Defensively, Lopez is ready. He saw a majority of his games at second with 76 but also saw 33 games at shortstop. Either way, Lopez had little trouble creating plays. At second base, his fielding percentage was .990, while at short, he carried a .992. No issues on defense and he is likely to get better once he is in a stable spot and has even more time in the majors.

Lopez is a great option at second base, but he has to continue to improve on his offense. If he can continue that progress that he showed at the end of the 2019 season, he will have a good shot at seeing a lot of time in Kansas City during the 2020 season.

With two good options to play the spot, it’s unlikely the Kansas City Royals will want to look too deep into prospects for free agency for a second baseman.

Any prospects? 

The only prospect in the Royals system at the moment that would likely be “ready” (used loosely) to see some major league time, if needed, is Kevin Merrell. This observation, of course, is being generous. Merrell was brought over in a trade in 2019 that sent Homer Bailey to Oakland.

Merrell has never seen major league time, and while he has a history of batting well in the minors, his time at AA in 2019 didn’t impress. Merrell slashed .242/.287/.330 with 110 hits over 124 games, 47 RBIs and 2 home runs.

Defensively, Merrell is not likely at the level the Royals would like to see. He primarily plays shortstop but is listed as SS/2B. He only saw 2 games at second in 2019 and he kept a 1.00 fielding percentage over those 2, but over 117 games at shortstop, he held a .972 percentage.

Merrell could definitely be used if needed, but it’s unlikely he will see any major league time in 2020. At only 23 though, he has time to grow and refine his skills, giving him a better chance to one day make it to Kauffman.

Free Agents

Chris Owings is available.

Ok, now that that’s out of the way, there is likely no need to dive deep into the second base free-agent market. While there are some possibilities available, the Royals have what they need for the position, they just need to make some decisions.

While it can be assumed the person playing second will be either Whit or Lopez, it is a bit difficult at this time to say who will actually be at the spot full time. By default, many would probably be inclined to say Whit, but if the Royals decide to move things around, that may not be the case.

There are three most likely scenarios that can come out of this, and any of the three are very possible. First, Whit is moved to the outfield full-time (right or left, dependent upon Alex Gordon) and Lopez takes over at second base.

Second, Whit remains at second to start the season, and Lopez is kept as a bench player, likely seeing more time as the season progresses. Third and very possible, Adalberto Mondesi is not ready to return from surgery to start the 2020 season and Lopez is slotted to play shortstop while Whit remains at second.

Second base is definitely locked down, but at the moment, the Royals have not made any inclinations as to “who” has it locked down. The positive is that either way the team moves forward with this, the future looks bright for second base in Kauffman Stadium.