Cleveland Indians: Is Roberto Perez the unsung hero of the Tribe?

Is Roberto Perez the unsung hero of the Cleveland Indians?

The Cleveland Indians pitching staff is off to another strong start despite so much roster turnover, but one consistent factor has been Roberto Perez. Taking over as the everyday catcher in 2019, Perez has quickly became the backbone of this Tribe team, specifically the success of the pitching.

Perez has been in Cleveland since the 2014 season, but most of that time was split with Yan Gomes behind the plate. Following Gomes’ All-Star campaign in 2018, the Indians moved on from the backstop Gomes and Perez was elevated. There was a decent amount of concern about whether Perez could play everyday, and he hasn’t disappointed.

Having been the battery partner of Trevor Bauer, the core of Perez’s game was already known. He was able to corral Bauer and push his young career in the right direction. Even so, I’m not sure if anyone was prepared for how great Perez has been behind the plate. His defensive stats are rather impressive, but his ability to operate through a lineup is on the same level.

Looking at the defensive side of the game, Perez has two seasons of full-time catching and two Gold Glove Awards. In his now three seasons as main catcher for the Cleveland Indians, Roberto Perez has just four errors. On 1,528 chances. That gives him a .997 fielding percentage over that span.

Perez also has led the American League in caught stealing percentage each of the last two seasons, including all of baseball in 2020. During the 2019 season he threw out 41% of potential base thieves, throwing out 20 while 29 made it safely. As for 2020, people began to catch on and stopped running on him. Perez allowed only four stolen bases while throwing out 10 runners for a 71% mark. Just don’t run on Roberto Perez.

On top of being dominant defensively, Perez has had to navigate change after change in the rotation. In 2019, he worked with a rotation that consisted of an injured Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Mike Clevinger, a young Shane Bieber and Bauer. However, through injuries and the like, a rookie pair of Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale were inserted along with Adam Plutko. Yet, Cleveland didn’t miss a beat.

Yes, some of this has to do with the pitching factory that is the Cleveland minor league system, but Perez eased these guys into to the majors. Of those five that began the 2019 season, only Bieber remains, but the success is just the same. Plesac and Civale have progressed while Bieber won one Cy Young Award already and is off to a similar start in 2021 that he had in 2020.

As for the vacated spots in the roster, Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen are the latest additions to the list of pitchers that Perez has assisted in making the transition to the big leagues.

Despite a rotation that doesn’t have a pitcher older than 26-years old and a bullpen that is only a few players away from the same classification, the Cleveland Indians pitching staff is still among the best in the league. In fact, the only pitchers that are older than 27 are Phil Maton (28), Nick Wittgren (29), Bryan Shaw (33) and Oliver Perez (39).

Even with the young staff, the Cleveland Indians, thanks in large part to Roberto Perez, are still second in Major League Baseball for ERA (2.55), first in WHIP (0.94), second in earned runs allowed (25) and first in hits allowed (49). From Bieber to McKenzie in the rotation and Quantrill to Karinchak in the pen, this team is firing on all cylinders on the mound and the one constant is Roberto Perez.

Perez isn’t the best offensive catcher in the game, but what he brings to the Tribe is nearly unmatched in baseball. His ability to think through a batting order four times a game is the key to the pitching staff’s success. While Bieber and company are the ones that get the highlight packages and media recognition, Perez is the man behind the curtain calling the shots. The Gold Glove Awards are a strong starting point, but it’s time that Perez receives more attention and coverage for the incredible job he does behind the plate and the massive role he plays in the success of the Cleveland Indians.