Kansas City Royals: Top Ten Players To Watch In 2017
By Ben Almquist
Kansas City Royals Top Players To Watch: #5
Salvador Perez – C
One of the most popular players for the Kansas City Royals over the past few years is catcher Salvador Perez. Though he’s never quite broken through at the plate, Salvy has become one of the absolute best defensive catchers in the league. Of course, he’s become best known for handing out Gatorade showers after Royals victories, but he’s still one of the best at his position.
However, there is a concern regarding Salvador Perez’s knee. He was recently injured during a World Baseball Classic game in which he had a collision at the plate with fellow Royals catcher Drew Butera. The MRI for the knee has come back clean, and Perez expect to be fully ready to go for the season opener. However, it is still something to monitor.
Catchers and knee problems are almost synonymous. So even though Perez has been cleared, this is a potential issue…especially down the road. It will be important to monitor moving forward. However, I do expect Perez to be able to handle the load for most of the year. Getting some partial relief during the season is part of the game these days, so there should be no issue there.