Royals All-Star Catcher Salvador Perez is Who We Thought He Was
Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez has been a fan favorite going on for a better part of the past decade. Not only is he a spectacular player on the field, but it’s just easy to tell he loves the game of baseball with the infectious smile he flashes day-in-and-day-out.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Perez has become a rising star on the national level the past several years as well. Salvy is a seven-time all-star. Outside of the 2019 season when he was injured and the 2020 season when there was no All-Star game, he has been voted into the game every year since 2013.
While it’s easy to say Royals fans jammed the ballot boxes, he is the only current Royal to appear in that many All-Star games. This season specifically, Perez received the third most votes of any player in the league. For a catcher to receive that many votes, it is easy to see how special he is, not just in Kansas City, but around the country.
In Kansas City, we’ve loved Salvy since day one. He really rose to fame and popularity after his game-winning RBI single in the 2014 Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics. The image of Perez bolting to first base with his arms raised to the heavens and fists clenched in excitement will be etched in Royals fans' memories forever. Nationally, that was his launching point.
The following season Perez would go on to win World Series MVP and gain even more notoriety while cementing his legacy in Royals and Major League Baseball history. There is no doubt Perez will be a Royals Hall of Famer, but will he be able to make that jump into Cooperstown?
It’s too early to tell, but he has shown that despite the naysayers from a few years ago, he has not looked like he is going to be slowing down anytime soon. His numbers continue to get better each season and his defense is still top-notch. This will be a conversation that will heat up over the next few seasons.
Perez signed a franchise-record $82 million contract that will keep him with the team through the 2025 season. He could stay with the team through 2026 if the team picks up the fifth-year option. It’s another well-deserved contract and the second extension of his career. It’s rare for a player to stay on the same team for over a decade, let alone retire having only played for one team, but Perez is on track to do just that.
Despite the lack of team success on the field since May, Perez has been a light shining in the darkness for fans in Kansas City. During All-Star weekend, fans will get a double dose of their Royals representative.
Perez was selected as one of the Home Run Derby contestants and will face off against New York Mets power-hitting first baseman Pete Alonso. Perez will be the first Royal to compete in the Home Run Derby since his friend Mike Moustakas was asked to participate in 2017.
Former Royal Danny Tartabull led the majors in slugging percentage in 1991 and was given the opportunity to participate in the derby. The first Royals player to participate was Bo Jackson in 1989. Jackson went on to win the MVP award in that All-Star Game after leading off the game by hitting a home run in the American League’s 5-3 win over the National League.
After Perez is done with the Home Run Derby, Royals fans can look forward to him being the starting catcher for the American League as well. A lot of times during down seasons over the past few decades, the Royals will get one token player in the All-Star Game.
Many of them didn’t play in the game or were inserted into the lineup toward the end of the game when a lot of viewers had tuned out. Perez will be a featured member of the squad and will shine a nice light on the organization during a rebuilding season.
Perez has earned everything he has received so far in his career. His stock continues to rise and his love for the game will pull a casual baseball fan into loving an exhibition game in the middle of a less-than-stellar season for Royals fans.
Make sure to take some time out of your schedule and make it a point to watch Salvy knock some dongs over the fence at Coors Field in the Home Run Derby. Do the same the following evening when he’s starting at catcher for the American League. Perez isn’t just an All-Star… he’s OUR All-Star.
