KC Royals: Who Has Been The MVP So Far
By Mike Norris
May 20, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) goes after a loose ball against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
As good as Gordon has been in left field, Salvador Perez has been the same behind the plate. Obviously he leads his team in caught stealing percentage, but he also leads all of baseball, throwing out would-be base stealers at a rate of 48 percent.
He’s only committed one error and one passed ball, while his .7 Defensive WAR is third among AL catchers.
All of this make him pretty important to his team — and that’s only including his defense.
His sixth home run of the season Friday in Chicago tied him for second on the team (one behind Eric Hosmer), his .289 batting average is sixth, while his 25 RBI are third.
Those a pretty solid numbers for a catcher who rarely sees any rest. Manager Ned Yost has so much faith in him, if Perez broke his leg he’d probably ask first if he thought he’d be ok to stay in the game.
He also is the king of post-game celebrations, but he lost points in the team MVP race for not following through with this ice bath on teammate Kendrys Morales.
Next: No. 3 The Perfect Set Up