Kevin Merrell

Kevin Custer Merrell

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 180 lb.
• School University of South Florida
• High School George M. Steinbrenner High School

• Born December 14, 1995 in Odessa, FL USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Infielder Kevin Merrell was the 33rd pick of the 2017 amateur draft, selected by the Oakland Athletics in the Competitive Balance Round A. He was the second pick by the A's in that draft, following OF Austin Beck with pick #6. He played three seasons at the University of South Florida before being drafted and as a youngster had taken part in the 2008 Little League World Series with the Tampa, FL team. As a junior at South Florida in 2017, he hit .384 and was a second team All-American as designated by Baseball America. His signing bonus with the A's was $1.8 million.

Merrell began his pro career in 2017 with the Vermont Lake Monsters of the New York-Penn League, hitting .320 in 31 games. In 2018, he was with three different teams, due to a couple of rehabilitation assignments with Vermont and the AZL Athletics caused by a nagging elbow injury, in addition to 62 games with the Stockton Ports of the California League. Altogether, he hit.291/.335/.365 and was a mid-season All-Star in the California League. In 2019, he started the season with the Midland RockHounds, the A's affiliate in the AA Texas League. There, he hit .246 in 82 games, then on July 14th was traded to the Kansas City Royals in return for major league pitcher Homer Bailey. He stayed in the Texas League after the trade, simply switching teams and joining the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Between the two stops, his batting line was .242/.287/.330 in 124 games, with 2 homers and 47 RBIs.