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CHICAGO -- Are you familiar with Whit Authentic Robert Thomas Youth Jersey Merrifield, the Kansas City Royals second baseman? If not, you probably should be. Merrifield has become one of the more underrated producers in big league baseball because he seemingly emerged from nowhere. Drafted in the ninth round in 2010, three spots ahead of where the New York Mets nabbed pitcher Jacob deGrom, Merrifield began a methodical climb through the Royals’ system -- one that was, at http://www.authenticnikegiantshop.com/Robert-Thomas-Jersey the time he was drafted, the darling of prospect wonks everywhere. After 716 minor league games, Merrifield finally made his major league debut on May 18, 2016, four months past his 27th birthday. Now, 15 months later, he’s a fixture atop the Royals’ lineup and one of the best players at his position. “He’s worked himself into a very nice major league player,” manager Ned Yost said after the Sunday’s 14-6 win over the Chicago Authentic Vontaze Burfict Youth Jersey White Sox. “Very consistent. Does a nice job defensively.” Don’t believe me or Yost? Take a trip to the FanGraphs leaderboards. Merrifield ranks fifth among second basemen in WAR and one of the guys ahead of him, Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez, is actually a third baseman who has played a lot of keystone this year because of Jason Kipnis’ injury woes. Merrifield sports a well-rounded game. On that same leaderboard of second basemen, he ranks ninth in average, 13th in on-base percentage and fifth in slugging. He’s second in defensive runs saved. And, by FanGraphs’ base-running metric, he ranks ninth among all players when it comes to adding runs with his legs. “He’s just a very solid all-around player,” Yost said. “Runs the bases well. Will give you a great at-bat. Has a little power and does a solid job defensively.” Not bad for a guy that The Ringer’s Michael Baumann recently called “the next David Eckstein.” In fact, when I ran into team broadcaster Rex Hudler in the dugout before Saturday’s game, I asked him about the http://www.bengalsshopfootball.com/bengals+vontaze+burfict+jersey comparison. Hudler called Eckstein’s games when he broke into the big leagues with the Los Angeles Angels. Suffice it to say, I got an earful of enthusiasm and a fist-pump from the ebullient Hudler. Merrifield had the best offensive game of his big league career in Kansas City’s pounding of the White Sox, going 3-for-6 with a homer, a triple and five RBIs. Needing a double to complete the first Royals’ cycle since George Brett did it on July 25, 1990, Merrifield fouled out to right with the bases loaded in the eighth. He admitted the feat, which he also nearly accomplished against the Detroit Tigers on May 29, was on his mind. It’s was on Yost’s, too. “I was kind of hoping he’d do it today,” Yost said. “It’s kind of tough, you get in those situations with the bases loaded, it’s a little bit tougher. You’re lacking a double. If it were me, I’d be busting my tail to second base no matter where the ball was hit. But with the bases loaded, the guy ahead of him is probably going to stop.” Now that’s a players’ manager, one who appreciates the finer points Joe Montana Youth Jersey of individual accomplishment. “I’m going to get it one of these days,” Merrifield said. “With the game like it was, it was in my mind. I needed to hit a ball in the gap. I made a pretty poor swing on a hanging slider.” Merrifield is actually in the same age range as players who comprised the Royals’ championship core, but he is really more representative of subtle second wave of talent that is helping keep the Royals competitive, especially this weekend when a recent losing streak had stretched to five games. But after a comeback win on Saturday and Sunday’s easy win, Kansas City’s ship seems to be righted.“That was really big for us,” Merrifield said. “To come back and rally, hopefully that can kind of propel us forward and we can kind of go on a little run.” Let’s jump back for a moment. The storyline of the 2017 Royals revolves around what many assume will be the last chapter for the core group that returned championship baseball to Kansas City. That wave of talent grew from the system Merrifield joined seven years ago. Faced with a decades-long http://www.officialauthentics49ersshop.com/authentic-joe-montana-jersey.html postseason drought, general manager Dayton Moore oversaw the gradual buildup of a farm system that eventually stirred some to call it one of the finest collections of minor league talent we’ve seen. Prospect rankings don’t always correlate to championships won, but in the Royals’ case, “the process” -- as it came to be known -- paid off in best possible way, culminating in two pennants and the 2015 World Series crown. Yet, many analysts see a prolonged rebuilding period coming up for the Royals. Mostly that’s because of skepticism that their free agents will stay, a group that includes Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain. But it’s also because those former lofty prospect rankings slipped after that touted group graduated to the majors and recent high draft picks so far haven’t panned out.