1 Roberto Perez, Cleveland Indians, $4,812 million value, $2.625 million salary
Until 2019, Perez was largely thought of as hopelessly good field, no hit. Then the Indians traded away all his more expensive competition for playing time and got out of Perez’s way. The result was enlightening.
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In his first season as a MLB regular following five years as a backup, Perez delivered 24 home runs, 63 RBIs, and a credible, if not imposing, .774 OPS. Across 449 plate appearances, it worked out to 3.9 WAR, third best for catchers behind only Realmuto and Garver. Who wouldda thunk it?
Lay that production atop the resume of a catcher known for his defense and you have a contender for the game’s best. Defensively, Perez saved a majors’ best 35 runs in 2019, equating to $1.34 milion in salary. Perez and Austin Hedges were the only two catchers in 2019 justifying more than $1 million in salary purely on their defense, and Hedges wasn’t nearly Perez’ equal as a run-producer.
He also ranked second in pitch framing, saving another 11 runs via that skill. That generated a further $452,000 in value.
The result was a rare player indeed: A veteran being paid in the millions and yet generating value equal to more than twice what he was being paid.
The Indians owe Perez $3.625 for 2020, the final season of a four-year deal he signed in 2017. So far that’s been money well spent.