KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former Royals utility man Whit Merrifield is still learning his way around the visitors side of Kauffman Stadium.
“I felt like a rookie getting my footing,” Merrifield said Monday. “ I didn't know where the cages were, the weight room or anything.”
A cornerstone of the Royals lineup for nearly eight seasons, the third baseman was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays last August in the first of a series of franchise changing transactions.
#NextLevel Whit Merrifield talks his exit from KC: "I hope people understand what this city and this team mean to me... I know what I said...and I know what I meant and the people that know me, know what I meant." pic.twitter.com/2SeJV9ceNv
— Aaron Ladd (@aaronladd0) April 3, 2023
“I played as hard as I could every day,” Merrifield said. “Never asked for a day off, never wanted a day off really, through good times and bad I wanted to be out there."
Merrifield appeared in 863 games as a Royal, including starting a franchise record 553 consecutive games.
“We've shared a lot, a lot of good times, a lot of bad times,” he said. “But family goes through that. So nothing but love for everybody in this organization. It's a special place in my heart."
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