Local, national media criticize unvaccinated Royals, with most heat on Whit Merrifield

The Royals putting 10 players on the reserved list because they won’t be allowed entry into Canada based on their vaccination status made national news.

There was a fair amount of criticism for those 10, but much of it was focused on second baseman Whit Merrifield who discussed why he had not received the vaccine and what could possibly change his mind.

“This is my opinion on it all. It’s what, based on the experiences I’ve had, the conversations I’ve had, and what I’ve seen, this is the conclusion I’ve come to,” Merrifield said. “Right or wrong, I didn’t do it on a whim. I’s been a long thought process because again, I understand what Canada has in place right now. That’s the only reason that I would think about getting it at this point, is to go to Canada.

“And that might change down the road. (If) something happens and I happen to get on a team that has a chance to go play in Canada and the postseason, maybe that changes. But as we sit here right now, I’m comfortable my decision, my teammates support me and support the rest of the guys in here that I made that same decision.”

Here’s a sample of what was being said by national and local media members.

Chris Rose and former Twins infielder Trevor Plouffe talked about the unvaccinated Royals and specifically Merrifield on their “Baseball Today” podcast.

“First of all, we want to get out there that Canada and the U.S. have the same policy: when you cross the border, you must be vaccinated, OK?” Rose said. “It’s why a lot of the foreign born players did get vaccinated when they came into this country. They wanted to be able to play this year. I know Whit Merrifield a little bit. I like him. This is utterly ridiculous. And if I were a Kansas City Royals fan today, I would be pissed off to the nth degree that I heard my de facto captain say this. Basically what he is saying is that if you put me on a better team, that I can be swayed to finally get the vaccine. ...

“What Merrifield is saying (is) ‘My team sucks. We’re 20 games under 500. I’m going to take these four days off before the (All-Star) break and give up my salary and give up my service time and it’s not that big a deal. But if I get traded to a contender, something’s going to happen. And I’ll rethink it.’ That’s a tough one. That is a tough one if I’m a Royals fan.”

Later Rose asked Plouffe: “If you’re a vaccinated player on the Kansas City Royals today are you pissed that you hear that? Not that the guys don’t get vaxxed, because like you said, I kind of agree with you. I wish people would get vaccinated but whatever. If that’s what they want to do with their bodies, that’s their choice. But then to say I can be swayed. If I have a chance to go get a World Series ring. That’s a kick in the (crotch). It is.”

Plouffe said he believed Merrifield had talked with his teammates about not being vaccinated, but agreed with what Rose said about the reason he would get the vaccine.

“I would not be happy if he came out and said that and he was my teammate, 100%,” Plouffe said. “I wouldn’t like it.”

Sports Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein wrote a story with the headline, “Unvaccinated Royals lay bare their lack of commitment,” and she highlighted Merrifield’s quote above.

“Did you catch that? If Merrifield played for a good team, he would care about his teammates. But he doesn’t, so he’ll take four days off,” she wrote.

“Actually, it will be eight days off, because the Blue Jays series is the last one before the All-Star break, and Merrifield has not been selected to the American League All-Star team.

“That makes sense: He is not a winning player. None of these scientists in baseball pants are. ... Professional athletes have more resources than nearly anyone on earth, yet some of them cannot muster the energy to do enough research to come to the conclusion that every expert has: Vaccines are safe and effective.”

Joshua Brisco of WHB (810 AM) wrote on Twitter that the Royals need to start anew.

Carrington Harrison said Thursday on KCSP (610 AM): “I don’t care how the Royals spin it, I don’t care how Whit Merrifield spins it. Yesterday he told the Kansas City Star the Royals are not good enough for me to be vaccinated. There’s no other way to interpret those beliefs. ... If the sacrifice is I take a PR hit and I missed (four) games in the middle of the summer and I can just take that time off? All right.

“You can’t then tell me you are a great teammate. You can’t then tell me you are willing to do anything for your teammates if that’s the stance that you have. You can’t tell me you are willing to do whatever it takes to win, not for the Royals. You might do whatever it takes if you played for the Astros. You might do whatever it takes if you played for the Yankees or Red Sox or a good team. But this bad team, these losers Nah, I’m good. That’s how I hear what Whit Merrifield had to say.”

Keith Olbermann, the former ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor, tweeted about Merrifield.

“If there could possibly be something worse than standing on foolish, superstitious, fearful ‘principles’ to avoid vaccination, @WhitMerrifield has just found it,” Olbermann wrote.

“Standing on those principles UNLESS YOU GET TRADED TO A BETTER TEAM“

Soren Petro said Thursday on WHB (810 AM): “I will make this prediction: I don’t think Whit Merrifield will, and I don’t think Whit Merrifield can finish his contract in Kansas City. He has largely assumed a leadership role, he is the shop steward when it comes to the Major League Baseball Players Association for the representation here in Kansas City. He’s clearly a leader in that clubhouse.

“It’s not just that they’re not going (to Toronto) which would cause frustration for the other players that are, but it’s the comments of Whit Merrifield. If I found myself on a team playing in a competitive environment, maybe, he didn’t say it would, but maybe it would be different. Those are words that frankly can’t come out of your mouth.”