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Kansas City Royals All-Time 25-Man Roster

By Bobby Mueller

Oct 2, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of Kauffman Stadium in the fourth inning between the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians. The Indians won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of Kauffman Stadium in the fourth inning between the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians. The Indians won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 19, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert (19) gets doused by catcher Salvador Perez (not pictured) after hitting the game winning walk off single in the thirteenth inning over the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Catcher—Salvador Perez

(with Royals from 2011-present)

13.9 fWAR (FanGraphs WAR), 16.9 bWAR (Baseball-Reference WAR)

.272/.302/.432, 684 G, 2694 PA, 98 OPS+ (with Royals)

Salvador Perez is only 26 years old and is already third all-time among Royals catchers in plate appearances. He also has five years remaining on his current contract with the Royals. If he finishes out the contract with the Royals, he’ll be head-and-shoulders above any catcher in franchise history. As it is, he is very close in value (FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference WAR) to the team’s catcher in the late 70s, Darrell Porter.

Perez grew up in Venezuela and often played baseball with fellow major leaguer Jose Altuve when they were kids. The Royals signed him for $65,000 when he was 16 years old and he began his professional career in the Arizona Rookie League in 2007.

After four-plus years in the minor leagues, Perez was called up to the Royals in August of 2011 and had the best hitting numbers of his career in a small sample size of 39 games (.331/.361/.473). Part of his success was an unsustainable .362 Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP). In the ensuing five years, Perez has put up a .286 BABIP, which is more in line with what you’d expect from a big, slow-moving, pull-hitting, right-handed hitter.

Despite Perez having only played 39 games in the big leagues at this point, the Royals had seen enough to sign him to a five-year contract for $7 million, with three club options. Unfortunately, Perez tore the meniscus in his left knee during spring training and would play only a half season in the big leagues in 2012. He hit .301/.328/.471 in 76 games.

Perez finally got a full season in at the major league level in 2013. He hit .292/.323/.433 and made the first of four straight all-star teams and won the first of four straight Gold Glove Awards. He quickly became one of the core members of the team, despite his young age.

Over the last four years, Perez has been a mainstay behind the plate. He’s appeared in more games and had more plate appearances than any other catcher in the American League. The only catcher in baseball with more playing time over the last four years than Perez is San Francisco’s Buster Posey. Perez is also third among all catchers in home runs and RBI. His success has allowed him to grow more comfortable with his teammates. He’s really enjoyed social media also, as can be seen in this video he posted on Instagram with regular partner in crime, Lorenzo Cain:

Perez is so good on defense that the Royals can tolerate a bat that hasn’t been nearly as good the last three year as it was during his first three years. From 2011 to 2013, Perez hit .301/.331/.451. After adjusting for the league and his home ballpark, Perez was 12% better than the average hitter. Since then, he’s hit .256/.286/.421 and has been 12% worse than the average hitter. He’s never been one to take a walk but had better contact ability early in his career. Last season, he struck out a career-high 21.8%. His career rate is 14.7%.

Despite posting ugly on-base percentages in each of the last three years, Perez hits for enough power and is so good defensively that he has generally been a league average or better player. When it comes to power, he’s increased his home run total in each of the last five seasons. If he can hit more than last year’s 22 homers this year, he’ll make it six straight seasons with an increase.

Perez has also had some big moments in the post-season. In 2014, when the Royals broke their 28-season streak without making the playoffs, they faced the Oakland A’s in the one-game wild card playoff. The game went 12 innings and was won by the Royals when Perez drove in the winning run with a single down the left field line.

In Game 1 of the World Series that year, Perez hit a home run off of 2014 Post-season Pitching God Madison Bumgarner. It was the only run Bumgarner would allow in 21 innings during the World Series. Unfortunately, Perez was also the final out of that series. With the tying run 90 feet away, Perez popped out to Pablo Sandoval in foul territory to end the series.

When the Royals made it back to the World Series in 2015, Perez was one of the keys to their success against the Mets. He hit .364/.391/.455 and had key hits in the Series-clinching win. He was unanimously named the World Series Most Valuable Player. With his positive attitude and interesting Instagram posts, he’s become a fan favorite in Kansas City.

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