Kansas City Royals: Top Ten Catchers In Team History
By Joel Wagler
Former Kansas City Royals catcher Miguel Olivo (30) – Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Other Catchers To See Action For The Royals
The Royals had a few other catchers see some time in blue. Bob Boone, long before he was a Royals’ manager, played in 171 games in Kansas City City. He earned a 2.8 WAR for the Royals. He is listed 21st in James’ 2001 Abstract.
Jim Sundberg played in 255 games and had a 2.7 WAR. His 22 home runs are the eighth most for a Royals catcher but he didn’t have enough plate appearances to make this list.
Sundberg’s key moment for the Kansas City Royals came in the 1986 ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays when he smashed a base loaded triple that helped propel the team into the World Series. He came in at 32nd in James’ 2001 Abstract.
Don Slaught saw action in 250 games, and had a WAR of 3.7, if he had qualified. Miguel Olivo had 35 home runs as a Royal, and would have been 6th on this list with enough plate appearances. He came in at 67 on James’ list.
Remember 2004? Benito Santiago played in all of 49 games in his very brief Royals’ career.
It will be interesting to see if Salvador Perez can remain on the path to stardom in the coming years. He could get injured; he already missed a few months with a knee injury. His weight could become an issue, as he is a very large man to be squatting as much as he does.
To be frank, his approach at the plate could derail his career because it may prevent him from moving to first base or designated hitter later in his career. Still, he is a promising young catcher who has time to improve. If he can maintain his level of play that the has displayed thus far for a few more years, he will not only be the best catcher of all-time but one of the best Royals ever.
The Royals have had plenty of catchers over the decades but few every day catchers that played for more than a few years, especially those that we considered good players. This has changed with Perez signed through 2021.
Players like Darrell Porter, Mike MacFarlane, Brent Mayne, John Wathan, and Ed Kirkpatrick have played a big part in the Royals’ history at catcher. Did your favorite make the list?
Special thanks to Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs for being such excellent resources for statistics.