Whit Merrifield To Phillies Fans “Sorry I Stunk For You”

Whit Merrifield had a good career in the MLB, just not in Philadelphia. Despite hitting .280 with a .741 OPS in his career, he managed a slash line of just .199/.277/.295/.572 in 53 games for the Phillies. But Merrifield still might have won Phillies fans over with a line he dropped in his recent retirement announcement.

Whit Merrifield signed a 1-year $8-million deal with the Phillies before last season. He was expected to be a super utility man, playing a little infield, a little outfield, and pretty much filling in wherever needed. Unfortunately, it never quite worked here. As his slash line shows, he struggled badly at the plate. By July 12th, the Phillies released him. The Braves picked him up, and he actually played ok for them, or at least better than he was here.

Merrifield sadly came up just short of 10 years of service time. What hurt him was not coming up with the Royals until he was 27. Still, he managed a solid career in those 9 seasons. He made 3 All-Star teams, including in 2023 with the Blue Jays, just before the Phillies signed him.

Still, despite those struggles, the response from Philly to his classy retirement announcement has been overwhelmingly positive. People say Phillies fans are hard to please. In reality, we are incredibly easy to pander to. Earnestness like this goes a long way. Him admitting he stunk and apologizing erased the bad memories of his struggles at the plate for most fans.

By all accounts, he was a stand-up guy here. His teammates loved him. Merrifield fit right into the culture. He just didn't play well. He was 35 and clearly at the end of his career. It happens. It is not his fault his career ran out of gas the second he got here. But kudos to him on the good career, and for the classy response.