Making the Grade: Ranking Catchers in the AL Central

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No. 2: Salvado Perez, Kansas City Royals

Oct 21, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez hits a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants in the 7th inning during game one of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The youngest of the group, Salvador Perez ranks among the most prolific catchers in all of baseball – not just the AL Central.

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Perez is solid both offensively and defensively, but what sets him apart is the fact the Venezuelan backstop played in 150 of 162 games last season. He then went on to play in 15 postseason games for a Royals team that surprised all the way to the World Series.

In other words, Perez is durable.

As John Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote:

"[Perez] started the Royals’ final 49 games in a row. He caught every inning of a postseason run that extended to Game 7 of the World Series. He won the American League Wild Card Game with a walk-off single…That is value."

And no doubt it is.

The reason Perez falls short of the top spot in the AL Central is because his offensive production saw a steep decline in 2014. A career .285 hitter, Perez hit just .260 with 17 homeruns in 2014. The 24-year-old tallied 70 RBIs in 578 at-bats and, perhaps most impressively, saw just 14 percent of his at-bats ended in strikeouts.

Given the wear and tear on his body over the last few seasons, it is fair to question how long Perez can continue at his current pace. With that in mind, there is no AL Central catcher more productive than…

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