Whit Merrifield is the kind of player who will admit to scoreboard watching. So when asked Wednesday if he was paying attention to the league leaders in stolen bases, perhaps his answer was not surprising.
“Absolutely,” he said.
Merrifield, a 28-year-old second baseman, entered Wednesday with 33 stolen bases, tied with Houston’s Cameron Maybin for the most in the American League. He is in position to become the first Royal to lead the league in that category since Johnny Damon in 1998. As Merrifield stood inside the clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium, he admitted that he would likely be more aggressive during the season’s final five games.