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Kevin Merrell

#27 | SS | RoyalsKC
Northwest Arkansas Naturals Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Kevin Merrell
Name: Kevin Custer Merrell
Born: Dec 14, 1995 in Odessa, FL
College: South Florida
High School: Steinbrenner HS, Tampa
Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 180 lbs
Bats: L / Throws: R
 ABAVGOBPSLGHR
Career1,167.260.313.35714
Drafted in the supplemental 1st round (33rd overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2017 (signed for $1,800,000)
In a light college position player class, Merrell has been one of the few players to move in the right direction this spring. His best attribute is his elite speed; Merrell is an 80 runner underway and has turned in run times as low as 3.9 seconds from home to first base. He's a lefthanded hitter and has made positive transformations with his swing, ditching a deeper load to make his swing more compact. Merrell's approach of putting the ball in play has paid off; he was batting .392 with a week left in the regular season. Defensively, Merrell lacks flashy hands and body control at shortstop, but he's a quality athlete and some evaluators would like to give him a chance to stay there at the next level. His pure arm strength is near average, but he has a quick release and some scouts think he may have some more untapped arm strength in the tank. If he doesn't develop into a regular at shortstop, Merrell could move straight to center field, or he could be developed into a super utility player. His top-of-the-scale speed and excellent performance could lead to him being selected on the first day of the draft.
Career Statistics
  • Career Statistics
  • 2023 Game Logs
  • 2023 Splits
  • Spring Training
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Split TypeAVGGABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSOOBPSLGOPS
Split TypeWLERAGGSSVIPHRERHRBBSOAVGOBPSLGWHIP
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