Salvador Perez

Perez's .254 average, .292 OBP and 23 home runs in 2023 came close to exactly matching his figures from a year prior, but the homer total is a concern given he played in 26 more games than 2022. The home run and RBI (80) totals are still among the best in MLB for catchers, but the downward trend is clear as he enters his age-34 campaign. With that in mind, it's not a surprise he saw more action than ever out from behind the plate, as he made 29 starts at DH and 23 at first base. Those latter numbers should only increase going forward, though he shouldn't have issues retaining positional eligibility anytime soon. Trade rumors have become more common of late, but the remaining two years and $44 million (including a $2 million buyout for a 2026 club option) on his contract limits potential suitors. Perez is no longer close to being the top catching option for fantasy managers, but his likely high volume should make him a strong producer in 2024, even if the downward trajectory continues.

Perez hurt his thumb in May, sending him to the IL for 10 days. After aggravating it a few weeks later, Perez had surgery on the UCL in his left thumb, costing him a little more than a month. He also lost a few games after taking a pitch off his wrist. The various hand injuries cost Perez some power as his fly ball exit velocity dropped a couple of ticks. His BABIP also suffered, but Perez was still one of the most productive catchers, fantasy and otherwise. Embarking on his age-33 season, Perez's status as the first catcher off the board last one year, but he's still in the chat for those looking for a top backstop. He'll continue to play more than most at the position with significant time at designated hitter, but Perez's days of leading catchers in plate appearances is likely history. His power is apt to subsist for a few years, but he's likely to revert to being a batting average liability.

The 2021 season was a record-breaking one for Perez, whose 48 homers were the all-time best for a primary catcher. He was able to achieve that mark by playing 161 games (40 at DH). After missing all of 2019 to Tommy John surgery, his breakout started in 2020 with a 25.6% HR/FB and 13.9 Barrel%. The change came by going with a more line-drive approach -- his launch angle dropped from 18 degrees to 14.2 degrees and his flyball rate fell from 45% to 37.4%. Those changes stuck in 2021 (26.4% HR/FB, 15.9% LA) while he set new highs with a 114.4 mph maxEV and 93 mph avgEV. He's still not walking and even pushed his strikeout rate to a career-high 25.6%. Some downward home-run regression should be expected, though a number in the 30s is reasonable. The main concern is that his batting average might tank if the K% continues to climb. Even with the few negatives, Perez should be the first catcher drafted.

After missing all of 2019 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Perez returned with a vengeance, slashing .333/.353/.633 across 156 PA. A .269 career hitter, Perez achieved that lofty mark in batting average despite fanning at a career-high rate (23.1%) and posting a career-low walk rate (1.9%). He hit the ball on the screws, with his xBA, xSLG, wOBA, xwOBA and xwOBACON all ranking in the top 5% of the league, per Statcast. It's easy to see that Perez was fortunate and maxed out with his plate approach -- his .375 BABIP was nearly 90 points higher than his career mark -- but regression back to career norms would still leave him among the best-of-the-rest behind J.T. Realmuto at the catcher position. He will need his usual heavy workload to achieve another top-three finish at catcher, which seems possible if not likely, but keep in mind Perez has a lot of mileage on his legs for 30 years old.

Perez missed the entire season recovering from Tommy John surgery, but in the year of the resurgent catchers, he was not really missed by fantasy players. Perez's value comes in his ability to absorb a lot of playing time, although Ned Yost even cut back on that in recent years. Twenty homers and 70 RBI could be a safe baseline for Perez despite the layoff, but can we put him down for 55-plus runs again? It will be interesting to see how new manager Mike Matheny manages his playing time in 2020 given Jorge Soler's best position is DH, although there has been talk of giving him time at first base. It will be nice to have Perez back in the player pool, but the year off is going to have an impact on his numbers. Perhaps his body needed the rest more than others given his big workloads, as he likely feels much older than his actual 29 years of age.

Perez's 2018 got off to an ominous start. He slipped lifting a suitcase on the eve of Opening Day, suffering a Grade 2 MCL tear. His debut was delayed until April 24, but after that, Perez was his usual durable self, playing nearly every day until missing a week with a sprained thumb in late August. The injury continued to bother Perez the rest of the way and required lateral collateral ligament reconstruction after the season. Perez tied his career high with 27 homers though he recorded a career-low .234 average. The low average was surprising since Perez set personal bests in exit velocity and hard-hit rate, suggesting his .245 BABIP was artificially low. Perez is expected to fully recover from the thumb surgery in time for a full spring training. He should be good for his normal 130 or so games, providing plus power with an improved average. He should again be one of the first backstops off the board, buoyed by batting in the heart of the Royals' order.

When healthy, Perez is one of the few bell cow catchers left in the league. Unfortunately, he needed a two-week stint on the disabled list in August with a strained intercostal -- his first visit since being concussed in 2013. Despite failing to reach 500 plate appearances for the first time since 2012 (falling one short), Perez set career highs with 27 homers and 80 RBI, while tying 2016's career best 57 runs scored. An increase in HR/FB fueled by a higher hard contact rate drove the power surge. Perez remained allergic to walks, drawing a free pass in just 3.4 percent of his trips to the dish. The 27-year old backstop aggravated his side in September, but is expected to be healthy in the spring. While some regression in power is likely, note his ISO has increased every season since 2013. Not only does Perez play almost every day, he hits high up in the order, making him a great target for those not afraid to invest in a catcher.

On the surface, Perez's 2016 season was essentially a repeat of the prior campaign, with a small, but not unreasonable drop in batting average. A closer look, however, reveals the lower average resulted from a disconcerting decline in contact rate, the skill Perez relies on most for production as he rarely walks and in recent years has carried a below-average BABIP. Digging deeper, Perez's numbers on fastballs didn't change, but his strikeouts rose precipitously when facing breaking pitches and changeups. On the plus side, Perez surpassed the 20-homer plateau for the second straight season, enjoying an increase in isolated power for the third consecutive year. The big question is whether the still just 26-year-old backstop will improve against offspeed and breaking stuff. He'll continue to play more than most at the position, so assuming Perez's stock takes a hit from the low average, there's a nice buying opportunity here.

It only feels like Perez catches 267 games a season, but he still plays a lot of games behind the plate. While he is a fantastic receiver behind the dish, there are issues at the dish for him. On the plus side, his power numbers continue to improve as his home run total has increased each of the past four seasons while his Isolated Power has increased each of the last three years. He’s also a high-contact hitter that is tough to strike out. The downside is he is allergic to walks and puts a lot of balls into play that his slow running cannot beat out for hits and thus his on base percentage has declined each season he has been in the majors. He’s a solid three-category producer at catcher, but the batting average is at the mercy of the BABIP gods but he could continue to grow his homer total this season.

If nothing else, Perez's steady presence in the lineup makes him a valuable fantasy catcher, as only Jonathan Lucroy played in more games in 2014 -- and Lucroy saw much of that time at first base. The young backstop caught 150 games for manager Ned Yost, and rightfully earned his second straight Gold Glove award. Although he scored more runs (57) and collected more hits (150) than in any of his other major league seasons, each figure of his .260/.289/.403 slash line represented a career low. He chased a career-high 46.2% of pitches outside the strike zone, and as a result, struck out in 14 percent of his at-bats (another career-high). He'll presumably work on his pitch selection this offseason, an area that the 24-year-old has always struggled with a bit, having never posted a walk rate above five percent in any of his MLB season. His youth leaves him with plenty of time to improve his plate discipline, however, so there's enough reason for optimism heading into 2015.

After an incredibly strong finish to the 2012 season, expectations for Perez ran very high heading into the 2013 season. He was always known to be a high-average hitter with strong contact rates but he also displayed a strong power surge that many thought would take longer to develop. Unfortunately, that power didn't materialize as expected last season. He ultimately finished the season batting .292 with 13 home runs (.141 ISO) and 79 RBI, numbers more reflective of expectations prior to the 2012 power surge. Perez doesn't walk or strikeout very often, so his on-base totals won't be huge unless he sees a spike in his BABIP. Still, his ability to put bat on ball and hit for a line drive rate above 20-percent, coupled with the fact that he'll hit in the heart of the Royals' lineup, should provide solid, above-average production from behind the plate.

Expectations were riding high for Perez heading into the 2012 season, but a torn meniscus suffered during spring training put him on the shelf for the entire first half of the season. Even in the wake of such a disastrous injury for a catcher, Perez came back and produced for fantasy owners in the exact fashion as they had hoped. Garnering 305 plate appearances, Perez hit .301 with 16 doubles and 11 home runs for a .170 ISO and, despite an abominable 3.9 percent walk rate, still managed a .328 OBP thanks to such strong contact rates and a very favorable 8.9 percent strikeout rate. He'll enter 2013 as the Royals' primary backstop and should be a hot commodity on draft day as few catchers are capable of hitting for average as he can along with his mid-level power.

Perez made quite the leap in 2011 as he went from spending half the season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, to spending less than two weeks at Triple-A Omaha, before he jumped up to the majors for the final two months of the season. At the Double-A level, he showed an ability to hit for average (.283 batting average) and a little bit of power (.429 slugging percentage with nine home runs in 286 at-bats). At the major league level, Perez continued to hit as he posted a .331 batting average and .473 slugging percentage. Those numbers need to be put in the proper context as he had a .362 BABIP helping him along in those 158 plate appearances. Still, the team is committed to Perez as their everyday catcher for the 2012 season. He'll be just 21 years old on Opening Day, so fantasy owners should expect a bit of a learning curve as Perez adjusts to life as a full-time catcher saddled with the responsibilities of handing a major league pitching staff.