As a big fan of the Kansas City Royals, Whit Merrifield has long been one of my favorite baseball players. I loved his hustle and intensity. I was thrilled when I heard he was leaving Kansas City for Toronto in the final minutes of the 2022 trade deadline.
It’s not just on the pitch that Merrifield is intense. He’s intense in life too. I don’t know if you remember, but his arrival in Canada caused quite a stir because of his vaccination status at the height of the pandemic. In a nutshell!
Once very critical of John Schneider, the former Royals, Blue Jays, Phillies and Braves player recognized the good work done by his former manager. He didn’t hesitate to throw him some flowers, in a heartfelt podcast excerpt.
Steady progress
When the main subject of this text arrived in Toronto, Schneider had just been appointed interim manager following the dismissal of Charlie Montoyo. It was his first time as a manager in a dugout. The Blue Jays had suffered playoff disgrace that year, falling to the Seattle Mariners in just two games of the Wild Card Series. Remember, they led 8-1 after five innings, only to lose 10-9. That didn’t stop upper management from making their bench man’s status official.
The following season, the Jays were also eliminated in two games, this time against the Minnesota Twins. The 36-year-old was not at all kind to his manager following the setback. Those were his last moments in Toronto.
Whit Merrifield on #BlueJays taking José Berríos out early:
"I hated it, frankly. It’s not what cost us the game, but it’s the kind of baseball decisions that are taking away from managers and baseball, at this stage of the game."
– Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) October 5, 2023
Now that he’s retired, since June 24 of this year to be precise, Merrifield has been able to look at playoff baseball with different eyes. Despite the tangles, he calls John Schneider a friend and says that in his case, credit is due. He agrees when Schneider himself admits that he’s a much better manager than he used to be. In that sense, he has learned from his mistakes and analyzes the course of a match better than he used to. He sees the game unfold differently in front of him now.
In my opinion, this is proof that experience can’t be bought and that in life, you have to give the runner a chance. Like my former favorite player, I’ve long been critical of the Blue Jays’ right-hand man. This season, however, I was confounded as a long-time skeptic. Just imagine how much better Schneider will become over time!
This content was created with the help of AI.
