with Merrifield, is what advanced scouting is all about. The kid is a good fastball hitter, but will swing at virtually anything he can reach. He has done well enough so that pitchers now are giving him a bunch of junk to hit. Fastballs a foot inside and breaking pitches in the dirt and outside. He is being pitched to. He must now get a better idea of the strike zone, the pitchers are using his aggressiveness against him. Dale needs to reign him in a little. We will now observe phase 2 of dealing with a rookie by the league. If I was going to bet on the outcome, my money would be on Whit.
