Mariner fans are very familiar with Whit Merrifield for how hard of an out he’s been. In the Mariners’ two series against the Royals in 2018, it felt as if Merrifield got a hit in every one of his at-bats. That’s an exaggeration, but he still finished 11-for-25 in the six games.
The thing is, he’s successful at the plate no matter who he’s playing against. Entering the All-Star break, Merrifield is slashing .307/.378/.434 for a 124 wRC+. He’s already been worth 3.2 fWAR with positive ratings in both offensive and defensive metrics.
Every number mentioned are career highs for Merrifield, but that’s not the most impressive thing about him this year.