Whit Merrifield

2021 MLB Season

The 2022 MLB season starts in 15 days, so what better time to share my favorite images from 2021 than now?

Fans were back in seats, photo friends were back in the wells, and Salvy was back at the plate crushing homers. All was right in the world for my third year with MLB.

Here are my top 48 from the K (+2 from Werner Park):


2020 MLB Season

What a season.

Zero fans. Countless COVID tests. Old favorite faces. New friendships.

It was weird and great and unforgettable.

I’ve got to thank the gang at MLB for having me back for a second year as an LCC (Live Content Creator). Kaycie, Jake, and Lucas: you guys did so much to make this season as normal and problem-free as possible despite the circumstances and I cannot applaud you enough.

I’m also thankful for Royals videographer Sam Lutz for keeping me sane as the only other media member on the field this season, and for the Royals organization for trusting in me to be around their players and on the field during a global pandemic.

If you’re interested reading about my experience photographing professional sports in 2020, I did an interview with Ticketmaster that you can read HERE.

Otherwise, I’ll just let my favorite images from this year do the talking:

Alex Gordon Retirement

I can’t believe the 2020 MLB regular season is already over, but before I do my roundup of favorite images, I wanted to pay tribute to one of the Royal Greats, Alex Gordon. Gordo announced his retirement from the major leagues last week and the outpouring of love from players and the community is a testament to his dedication and leadership. He will be missed dearly, but I hope he enjoys that retirement pizza!

Fittingly, the Royals rolled out the red carpet for him for his last home series.

My favorite moments from his farewell:

MLB: Second Half

The 2019 MLB season is over and it's hard to believe that I've photographed 80 (!!) games this year – 78 at Kauffman Stadium here in KC, and two at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio for Players' Weekend. It was a marathon of a baseball season, but I learned so much and had a blast working alongside some of the best in the biz. Thank you so, so much to the MLB Live Content team for this opportunity.

Without further ado, here are my favorite frames from the second half of the season.

50 Games in 50 Photos

This baseball season I joined the MLB Advanced Media team to cover all 81 home games for the Kansas City Royals and their opponents. As an LCC (live content creator) I transmit images in real-time during games to the two teams for social media useage. It's been so much fun – albeit a little exhausting – and I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to work alongside some of the best photographers in the business, meet new people and learn new things, while making images of a game I love.

The Royals just finished up their 50th game at Kauffman Stadium this season, so I figured now was as good a time as any to finally get a blog post up with some of my favorite photos from the year so far.

Presenting my favorite 50 photos from the first 50 home games in Kansas City: