Salvador Perez, Catcher, Kansas City Royals, #13

Date of Birth: 5/10/1990
Birthplace: Valencia, Venezuela

Salvador Perez, catcher for the Kansas City Royals, played in the team's minor league system from 2007 through most of 2011. He played in 39 games with the Royals in 2011.

Perez signed a five-year, $7 million contract extension with the Royals in February, 2012. The contract includes club options through 2019.

Perez suffered from injuries in 2012 and he played in just 76 games with the Royals. In 2013, he batted .292 with 145 hits, 25 doubles, 13 home runs, and 79 RBIs in 138 games.

Perez won a Gold Glove as a catcher in 2013. In 137 games, he made 930 putouts with 7 errors and a fielding percentage of .993. He caught players trying to steal 35.2% of the time.

Perez finished the 2014 season with 150 hits, 28 doubles, 17 home runs, 70 RBIs, and a .260 batting average in 150 games. In the postseason, he batted just .207 with 12 hits, 1 double, 1 home run, and 6 RBIs in 58 at-bats in 15 games.

Perez won his second consecutive Gold Glove in 2014. In 146 games as a catcher, he had a .992 fielding percentage with 72 assists, 1,037 putouts, and 9 errors. He caught players trying to steal 30.5% of the time.

In 2015, Perez had a season similar to the one he had in 2014. He finished the season with 138 hits, 25 doubles, 21 home runs, 70 RBIs, and a .260 batting average in 142 games. He won his third Gold Glove award, this time for having a .996 fielding percentage with 90 assists, 974 putouts, and 4 errors. He caught players trying to steal 30.5% of the time.

Perez had a strong 2015 postseason, especially in the World Series when he batted .364 and won the MVP award. He finished the postseason with a .259 batting average, 15 hits, including 3 doubles and 4 home runs, and 8 RBIs in 58 at-bats in 16 games.

Perez signed a five-year, $52.5 million contract extension with the Royals on March 1, 2016. He finished the 2016 season with 127 hits, 28 doubles, a career high 22 home runs, and 64 RBIs in 139 games. Defensively, he won his fourth consecutive Gold Glove. As the Royals' catcher in 128 games, he made 77 assists, 989 putouts, and 4 errors. He had a .996 fielding percentage and he caught players trying to steal 48.1% of the time.

Perez won his first Silver Slugger award in 2016.

In 2017, Perez batted .268 in 129 games. He finished the season with 126 hits, 24 doubles, career highs in home runs with 27 and RBIs with 80, and 95 strikeouts to 17 walks. Defensively, as the Royals' catcher in 115 games, he made 46 assists, 784 putouts, and 5 errors. He caught players trying to steal 27% of the time.

Perez won his second Silver Slugger award in 2018. In 129 games, he batted .235 with 120 hits, 23 doubles, 27 home runs, 80 RBIs, and 108 strikeouts to 17 walks. He had another outstanding defensive season as a catcher and he won his fifth Gold Glove. In 96 games, he made 69 assists, 690 putouts, and no errors. He caught players trying to steal 48.1% of the time.

Perez had Tommy John surgery in March, 2019, and he missed the entire season.

Perez won his third Silver Slugger award in 2020. He finished the season with 50 hits, 12 doubles, 11 home runs, 32 RBIs, 36 strikeouts to 3 walks, and a .333 batting average in 37 games. Defensively, he was the Royals' catcher in 34 games and their first baseman in 3 games.

Perez had another strong offensive season in 2021, and he won his fourth Silver Slugger award for batting .273 in 161 games. He led the American League in home runs with 48 and in RBIs with 121. He had 169 hits, 24 doubles, and 170 strikeouts to 28 walks. Defensively, as a catcher in 124 games, he made 61 assists, 975 putouts, and 2 errors. He caught players trying to steal 44% of the time.

Career batting statistics for Perez through 2021 include:

• 1,140 games played
• 1,161 hits
• 213 doubles
• 200 home runs
• 656 RBIs
• 805 strikeouts to 162 walks
• .270 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Perez as a catcher through 2021 include:

• 1,032 games played
• 566 assists
• 7,486 putouts
• 38 errors
• 36% caught stealing percentage
• .995 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Salvador Perez
ESPN - Salvador Perez