Whit Merrifield made his big league debut for Kansas City in 2016, the season after the Royals won the World Series. Five years later, he's trying to lead another resurgence for a team whose identity should be pretty familiar by now.
The Royals are still trying to beat teams on the basepaths. Merrifield already has eight stolen bases, tied for the major league lead.
As a team, Kansas City has 22 steals. Only San Diego has more. That's despite the fact that Adalberto Mondesi, last year's major league leader in steals, hasn't played for the Royals in 2021 because of an oblique injury.
That's not to say the Royals can't hit for power. Carlos Santana and Salvador Perez have six homers each. Jorge Soler is off to a slow start this year, but he