Former Phillies Veteran Announces Retirement from MLB

In his announcement that he's retiring, Merrifield sent a message to the Phillies and their fans. "Philly," Merrifield wrote, "I liked you way more than you liked me. Sorry I stunk for you."

Based on Merrifield's statistics with the Phillies, his claim that he "stunk" with the Phillies isn't wrong. He hit just .199 in 174 at-bats, scored 21 runs in 53 games, while being designated for assignment partway through the year.

He also had five doubles, two triples, one home run, and four RBIs to go with six stolen bases, 20 walks, and 33 strikeouts in his Phillies career. Across his various stints around the league, his batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS were all the lows of his career when he was in Philadelphia.

But, in his nine-year MLB career, Merrifield put together a strong resume despite entering the league at 27 years old. He was an All-Star three times and led the league in hits twice in 2018 and 2019. He also led the league in triples in 2019 and doubles in 2021.

Merrifield stole 218 bases in his career, hit .280, and finished with 1,249 hits across 1,147 games. It was an impressive career for Merrifield, one that most MLB players can't match. In his prime, he was one of the league's best hitters. But, after struggling in recent years, he decided to retire.

His lasting impression on the Phillies wasn't a good one, and he admits it himself. But Merrifield put together a great career and made a positive impact wherever he went, including in Philadelphia, as he finished his tenure with 0.1 WAR.