Kansas City Royals: Who is the catcher of the future?

The Kansas City Royals have Salvador Perez locked up through 2022 and he’s obviously shown he’s one of the, if not THE, best catchers in the game. What’s the plan after Perez’s time is up as an MLB catcher?

Since the 2011 season, Salvador Perez has been behind the dish for the Kansas City Royals and has become an elite talent at the catcher position. Perez still has plenty of years left in the tank, but with this year and next year being rebuilding years for the organization, it made me think: Who will be the Royals’ catcher after Perez hangs it up?

Right now, there are two notable catching prospects in the Royals’ farm system. One of those prospects is Chase Vallot, who was a first round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. Vallot is just 22 years old and spent the 2018 season with the Wilmington Blue Rocks and the Idaho Falls Chukars.

During that time, Vallot played in 84 games and slashed .184/.320/.392 with 14 home runs and 52 RBI in 293 at bats throughout his time with both teams. The numbers aren’t great, but he’s 22 years old, so obviously the production will improve. That’s the hope at least.

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MJ Melendez is another catcher in the Royals farm system and he spent 2018 with the Lexington Legends, who won the South Atlantic League Championship. Melendez played well with the Legends, slashing .251/.322/.492 with 19 home runs and 73 RBI in 419 at bats.

Melendez looks the part of a future stud at catcher, but he’s still got a ways to go. He’s only 19 years old and won’t turn 20 until November. It’ll be several years before Melendez gets his shot in the majors.

It is worth noting, however, that Perez still has at least four years left as a Royal. By the time those years are up, Melendez would probably be ready to take over, especially if he spent some time backing up Salvy before taking over as the full-time starter.

Some might wonder why I’ve failed to bring up Cam Gallagher and that’s an easy question to field. Gallagher is 25 years old (just three years younger than Perez) and hasn’t shown nearly enough during his time in the majors to be a legitimate option moving forward. Could he be a great backup? Sure. He’s not catcher of the future material though and fans probably already knew this.

Gallagher can backup Perez over the next few years while Vallot and Melendez take their lumps in the minor leagues, but he’s not going to be a legitimate option in the future. For now, however, it’s good to let him get some valuable playing time in a season that is going nowhere.

Both Melendez and Vallot have also spent time as designated hitters in their respective leagues, which is something that a lot of catchers should learn. The catching position is a pretty taxing one with all of the squatting that takes place, so when the catchers get a day off, they’ll sometimes be put in as DH to still get their bat in the lineup. We’ve seen this occur with Perez frequently throughout his time in Kansas City.

Vallot is three years older than Melendez, which means he will probably see time in the majors sooner, but that’s not necessarily a good thing in this scenario. Melendez will be primed to take over right when Perez is nearing the end of his contract in 2022. By then, Vallot would already be 26 years old while Melendez would be just 23.

We’ll have to continue watching both of these players to see how they develop in the minors over the next few years, but it will be interesting to see if either of these guys ends up being the successor to Salvador Perez. Will it be one of these guys or will another player come out of nowhere to take the job?

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