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Kansas City Royals Catcher Getting Wiser With Age

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Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who is 33 years old, continues to shine offensively and gain on-field wisdom as he ages. Perez is among the top five qualified catchers who are ranked in the top 16 in OPS. Perez (.990), William Contreras (.988), Ryan Jeffers (.953), Willson Contreras (.950), and Will Smith (.924). The Royals made a lot of noise early this season, and Perez is a big reason for that. 

Salvador Perez Showing Wisdom on the Field As He Ages

Dangerous Hitter and Adjustment Maker

Perez has shown a significant difference in his catching behind the plate from 2023 to 2024. In 2023, we saw a motionless “mitt” aim that curves in and up, producing a two-slice progression in movement. In 2024, we’ve seen a pancake charge to the ground, a pause, and a one-piece move. Objectively, we should understand that a knee-down body position will boost the strike percentage at the bottom of the plate. A strong, carried-out pre-pitch will also revamp timed pitches that are down-angled. This shows you that hitters are not the only ones who need to make adjustments. A player with wisdom like Perez also understands that making adjustments is all a part of the game.

Perez is the type of hitter who wastes no time at the plate. Perez singled in the top of the first inning on Tuesday evening against the Toronto Blue Jays, extending a career-best on-base streak to 20 games. He also has 26 RBI, an impressive total this early in the season. That total is also good enough to lead the American League and rank him third in MLB. Marcell Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves leads with 31 RBI.

Perez is also ranked fourth in all of MLB, with a batting average of .355. Perez is also a tough batter to put away, especially with two strikes.  This is despite him continuing to swing at more pitches out of the zone than nearly any hitter in MLB, offering at these pitches 70 percent of the time. Perez has cut his strikeout percentage by 10 percent, doubled his walk rate, and improved his defensive metrics across the board as a soon-to-be 34-year-old catcher.

Clutch Perez

Salvador Perez has reached base in a career-best 19 consecutive games. In that span, he is slashing .354/.425/.646 in 73 plate appearances, with four doubles, five home runs, 17 RBIs, 7 BB, and 4 K (0 strikeouts in his last 28 plate appearances). He ranks 3rd in on-base percentage (.404) and slugging (.596). It doesn’t get any better than that for the Royals captain. Like Justin Turner, Salvador Perez looks like the type of player who is improving with age, and wisdom comes with this improvement. His ability to make adjustments when needed signifies the difference between a good hitter and a great one.

Photo Credit: © Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

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