Royals Star Catcher Listed Among Top Backstops In MLB For 2024
The Kansas City Royals had a strong 2024 season, winning 86 games and securing the second American League Wild Card spot after losing 106 games in 2023.
They fell short in the ALDS against the eventual American League champion New York Yankees. However, the future is still bright and the Royals should be back in contention again in 2025.
One of their key pieces during the season was veteran catcher Salvador Perez. The 34-year-old hit .271 with 27 home runs, 104 RBI and a .786 OPS. He also reached base at a .330 clip, had a slugging percentage of .456, an OPS+ of 119 while posting a 2.5 Wins Above Replacement.
Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranked him as the third-best catcher in all of baseball for 2024.
"Salvador Perez has been one of the best offensive catchers in baseball for the past decade, and he logged the eighth 20-homer season of his career in 2024 while also reaching the 100-RBI mark for the second time," Reuter wrote.
"He now ranks 10th on the all-time home run list among catchers with 273 long balls, and Jorge Posada (275) and Brian McCann (282) are both in his sights heading into the 2025 season.
The 34-year-old also quietly logged a career-high 6.7 percent walk rate in 2024 after years of hovering around a .300 on-base percentage, and he remains a key run producer in the middle of a Kansas City lineup on the rise."
Perez is the last remaining member of the Royals' 2014 and 2015 World Series teams. Yet at the age of 34 he remains one of the top catchers in Major League Baseball. His bat helped guide the Royals to 86 wins this past season, and he'll be a key piece of the puzzle for 2025.
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Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.