[5] For scouts, he ran the 60 yard dash in 6.6 seconds, which The Atlanta Journal-Constitution considered a good time.
[8] In 1988, the team promoted him to the Augusta Pirates of the Class-A South Atlantic League, where he played with future MLB players Moisés Alou and Orlando Merced.
[9] Going into the 1989 season, Augusta manager Stan Cliburn said Merchant would be the team's cleanup hitter after a strong performance in spring training.
[11] After 15 games in Augusta, the Pirates traded Merchant, Walker, and Mike Dunne to the Seattle Mariners for pitcher Bill Wilkinson and shortstop Rey Quiñones.
[11] The Pirates made the trade to find a replacement for shortstop Rafael Belliard, who was struggling offensively, and to compensate for injuries.
[1] Merchant attributes his success to regaining his hitting form: Jacksonville coaches tried to alter it, but in Chattanooga, "nobody wanted to change anything".
[14] Prior to the 1994 season, Reds manager Davey Johnson said Merchant could have competed for a position on the MLB team if he had had experience as a first baseman or as a catcher.