Veteran catcher Salvador Perez is the face of the Royals franchise, the last man standing from the club’s 2015 World Series team, and a nine-time All-Star with five Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers to his name. He’s one of the most important players in the organization’s history, and in that sense the 35-year-old’s legacy is already secure. That impenetrable legacy does little to help the Royals’ playoff odds in 2025, however, and in that regard Perez’s performance this year has been lacking. He’s hit just .218/.254/.324 across 46 games and 190 plate appearances so far in 2025. That leaves him with a wRC+ of just 57 and negative WAR according to both Baseball Reference and Fangraphs, and that’s in spite of a brief hot streak where he collected 14 hits (including eight doubles) in ten games from April 24 to May 6.
That sort of production just won’t cut it for a Royals club that has playoff aspirations. Their 27-22 record entering play today is enough to keep them in the thick of the Wild Card race, but the recent losses of both Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans from the front of their rotation will put more pressure than ever on the offense to score runs. Perez is typically a key part of that offense, and with other key cogs in the lineup like Vinnie Pasquantino and Jonathan India also struggling to produce early in the year, Perez remains as important as ever. Can he turn things around, or do the Royals have a tough decision to make this summer about a franchise legend’s playing time in a pennant race?
A look at the underlying metrics provides plenty of reason for optimism. The most glaring factor in Perez’s downturn in performance is his anemic .106 ISO, which would put him on par with the 2024 performances of light-hitting, contact-oriented bats like Nico Hoerner and Nolan Schanuel. That’s a worrisome comparison to make considering Perez averaged 30 homers per season from 2021 to 2024, but the good news is that all signs point to this power outage coming to an end sooner rather than later. Despite hitting just two home runs so far this year, Perez’s 13.0% barrel rate is actually his best since he smacked 48 bombs in 2021 and his 45.7% hard-hit rate is better than it was in either of the past two seasons. In fact, Perez’s barrel and hard-hit rates are almost identical to those of Pete Alonso this year.
That could make it easy to write off Perez’s lackluster performance so far this season as little more than a fluke that should correct itself in due time, and the Royals are surely hoping that’s the case. With that being said, there are at least some potential red flags in the veteran’s performance that are worth keeping an eye on. While Perez has never been a particularly well-disciplined hitter, his 22.6% strikeout rate and 4.2% walk rate are both trending in the wrong direction relative to his All-Star 2024 season. He’s also hitting slightly more balls on the ground with fewer line drives relative to last year. All four of those figures are well within the bounds of Perez’s career norms, however.
Perhaps the biggest reason for concern regarding Perez is his age. As a 35-year-old catcher, it would hardly be a surprise if he wasn’t as physically capable of maintaining peak performance across 162 games as he was in his younger days. Regular reps at first base and DH should help that somewhat, but it’s still worth noting that Perez has seen his offense take a turn for the worse when the calendar flips to July in each of the past two seasons. If that trend of Perez slowing down as the year progresses continues in 2025, he may be running out of time to turn his overall season numbers around despite the solid underlying metrics to this point in the year.
How do MLBTR readers think the rest of Perez’s 2025 campaign will play out? Will he bounce back to around where he’s been in recent years, as the underlying numbers suggest? Or has he struggled too deeply for too long in the first half to make up for a potential slowdown after the All-Star break? Have your say in the poll below:
Yes. He’s 35 and catchers have usually fallen off the cliff by now.
They shouldn’t be worried, they should be fully aware of how this goes from here on out
Just like Yadi Molina. Perez has been a star and made it a lot longer as a Star catcher than most all other catchers at 35.
I agree with the other commenters, let him finish his career as an occasional catcher, but more so being the DH and substitute first baseman.
Bucket – He should be playing first base and DH’ng more than catching, that would help his offense. Let him catch only about 30 games a season to remain sharp, once a week.
He has been doing that. He’s getting beat on fastballs that he used to crush and still chasing pitches low and away. Yet KC still insists on him hitting cleanup.
kc – Actually no he hasn’t.
He’s started at catcher in 24 of his team’s 50 games, on pace for 78 games started at catcher this season. That is way, way too much.
9x AS, 5x GG, ws champ, probly end up with over 300 hrs… hof worthy?
I think he should be in, but feel like he falls just short. Like always on the ballot, but never quite in, but maybe a veterans committee thing someday.
It’ll depend how fast Yadi gets in. If Molina gets in first or second ballot, that will help Perez.
Interesting to also see that Perez has over 200 games at DH. That’s a minor thing we should keep track of. Has about the same WAR as McCann but has over 3x as many games at DH. Posada, mentioned below, was helped by being able to DH nearly 700 AB too. The defense is just so hard to judge at catcher. Perez has obviously been good to be catching so many games. For instance tho, the first thing every pitcher says about McCann is he could judge a hitters reaction to pitchers and adjust from pitch to pitch better than anyone. But he’s not a HOFer.
Interesting point on McCann. While Perez has a better defensive reputation McCann was underrated as a receiver. I’d honestly forgotten McCann played so little other than C – I think one assumes every decent catcher goes to 1B/DH eventually.
He is a franchise icon and a well known commodity but definitely not a Hall Of Famer. Probably not even borderline, but do belongs in the hall of very good.
I can totally see you saying he’s not there but I also think we have WAY too high expectations for catchers to get in. WAR is just not gonna cut it at this position. And most catchers overall batting line is gonna be less impressive because they usually have one period where they are good hitters and one fairly lengthy one where they aren’t. And when one does hit later into their career there is usually a position switch to 1B or DH which we then hold against them.
If buster posey gets in then Perez is a slam dunk
However, if posey doesn’t for a while that complicates things
But I think they all will get in first ballot because of Joe mauer
that is such an insane take
yes
Interesting case. He gets bonus points for playing for one team his whole career. He’s the face of the franchise in this era.
Probably more of a hall of very good.
9 All stars have little value when he’s been on a team that 8 out of every 10 seasons puts out a minor league roster. Someone has to go so it was him a bunch.
The 5 gold gloves and 5 silver sluggers are really good, no doubt. The World Series MVP is also a nice feather in his cap.
But after all this time, he’s still only amassed 34.1 career bWAR. The Hall doesn’t vote based on WAR, nor should they, but it’s a decent barometer of who will get in, and the bar is usually about 50.
Buster Posey got in with 45 career bWAR, but he played fewer seasons and had more additional accolades then Perez.
If Perez can get back to his previous form for a few more seasons, he might sneak in, but if this is him falling off a cliff right now, he hasn’t done enough.
The WAR bar is usually lower for catchers — probably around 40. His fWAR is less than 20, due to his poor framing (bWAR doesn’t factor that in), but voters probably don’t care about that.
Posey isn’t in yet. He will be first ballot. I think you’re thinking of Mauer.
Mauer 55 WAR. Posey will get in with 44.9-ish
My bad. I did a quick google search for a list of all star catchers to compare with Perez and Posey’s name came up.
He felt good enough but I didn’t remember him being in, but the list said so, so I went with it. Should have checked more closely.
Fun fact, If you search google for Hall of Fame catcher, Posey doesn’t come up, but if you search Hall of Fame catchers (with an S) he comes up on the list. Weird.
@Gwynning Not gloating, Gwynny. Not gonna gloat. Totally expect your Papis to bust into T-Mobile later in the year and serve up a 3 game shellacking to even up the Vedder Cup. M’s just caught them at an awkward time perhaps. What a series though! Curious to hear your perspective if you feel like sharing it my homey. Go Pads.
I was waiting to hear from u, Iggy!
Embarrassing ball. 3 runs in 3 games is testimony to your staff though! I would love to even it up in your house… but we’re gunna have to show up better than that! Good job M’s
Mauer accumulated roughly 20 of that WAR as 1B. I do think Mauer and Posey are excellent comparisons tho. Especially if Perez finishes career in KC. I think Posada is the other that should be mentioned here, 43 WAR on loaded teams.
Ultimately if his career value was measured today I seem as a bit shy of HOF. A few plus WAR seasons, I think would put him in.
Can he collect any WAR in the front office? Maybe net WAR of transactions his FO makes…. I kid of course.
Biggest problem with Royals is their OF production.
That’s why I had to mention loaded lineups Posada was in. That bolstered his WAR. With Posada not making it and Perez him I think would be a tough sell for HOF voters.
Catchers seem pretty under represented in HOF. Especially with what they contribute to the game. Offensive stats produce stars tho and catchers contributions game in and game out don’t all show up on stat sheets.
Home run Canuckleball! +1
binger- Ask yourself “Are Jason Kendall and Jorge Posada Hall of Fame worthy?” and that’s roundabout what you should probably think about Sal. Heck of a career, either way!
I think he falls short of HOF standards, even with the bar lowered to the level of Harold Baines. His top-3 similar players (according to BR) are Brian McCann, Javy Lopez and Jorge Posada… none of them are HOF worthy either. Lance Parrish also had a similar career statistically. It’s a no.
Salvy has a similar career to gary carter
Ya’ll too young to remember him
Carter was ws champ, 11x AS, 3x GG, .262 hitter, 324 hrs
Salvy .266, 275 hrs but if he sticks it out a couple more yrs his hr total will be close to carter
None of those other guys have a similar resume to salvy
I don’t see how Carter has a similar career either. By accolades, batting average, and home runs, sure. But there’s far more to players than just that. Carter has the second most bWAR of any catcher, above Ivan Rodriguez, Carlton Fisk, and Mike Piazza. Perez doesn’t even have 40 bWAR or rank top 30 among catchers of alltime.
If you don’t like WAR, then there’s still a lot more Carter had than Perez does right now. He played in parts of 19 seasons, is one of only 10 players to have spent 60%+ of their career behind the plate and appear in 2000+ games, had a better OPS+ than Perez at 115, and was a much better overall defender than Perez. His peak was also much longer than Perez’s. From 1977 through 1986, Carter hit nearly as many home runs in this 10 season stretch as Perez has for his entire career with 247, all while hitting .274/.347/.474 with a 128 OPS+. On a rate basis, Carter’s ’77-’86 stretch was nearly, if not just as good as Perez’s best season, when he hit .273/.316/.544 with a 128 OPS+ in 2021.
The comparrison to Posada is more accurate. Perez and Posada have nearly identical hit and home run totals, and are similar in other counting stats like total bases and RBI. He was a better overall hitter than Perez, but Perez had an edge in fielding at his peak. Javy Lopez had similar hit total, home run total, total bases.
Posada also had the luxury of hitting in a lineup with a bunch of juicehead all stars.
No way.
I would have to say yes.. If he bounces back this season and has a decent season next year. He could end up with 300 home runs, which only 7 other catchers have ever done and all but one of them are in the hall of fame.
Joe Maurer getting in set the bar low.
I’ll take Perez over him any day of the week.
2 wrongs don’t make a right. If the argument is always going to be….”hey, but such and such is in”, then we’re heading towards a LOT of players that won’t deserve enshrinement.
Perez: 34 War, .756 slug, 104 OPS+?
I don’t care how many mistakes have put players in that don’t deserve to be in, this crap has to stop sometime. If Lou Whitaker ain’t in, neither is this guy. I think he’s hit the wall. This is him going forward. Knees are kaput.
Eventually, but it may take some time
With Posada not getting in with 43 WAR, I don’t see how Perez gets in. None of the counting stats, not that they’re a necessity for a C. Most important no dominant seasons or significant awards.
Without those he’s left with WAR and that’s where I think Posada will weigh heavy with voters.
No. Data indicates a good bounce back moving forward. If you play fantasy, he’s a buy-low candidate.
Already did! Good lookin’ out Lordy!
People been dropping him in some of my leagues. I’ve been picking him up and stashing him.
3-5, HR, 2B, couple ribbies today and
BAM! 20 point day from Salvy! Dig it
Naaaaah…. a 35 yr old catcher that played 158 games last year? He’ll bat .300 and steal 20 bases by season’s end
Bobby Witt is worried about having to carry this whole team on his back every night. How do you keep trotting Renfroe and Melendez out there every night?
Melendez got sent down a couple weeks back
Renfroe should have been DFA-ed by now.
Reynaldo’s;
I watch some Royals games.
Bobby Witt doesn’t look worried to me at all.
I watch some Guardians games.
José Ramírez doesn’t look worried to me at all.
Why do you think that is?
How does one recognize if a player looks worried?
Joe;
I don’t know.
Ask Reynaldo’s.
Watch the opposing teams bench on a deep fly ball in a close game, you’ll then be able to recognize when a player might look worried
Because they get paid big bucks, win or lose and there probably comes a point where players take solice in that fact so they don’t drive themselves crazy. Like, “screw it. I’m still getting paid and stacking personal numbers.”
Yes, because i drafted him for my fantasy team.
Ooo then that is not a lot of production for your catcher spot…
Someone dropped him so I picked him up. I think he’ll get hot at some point. Even though he probably won’t be as good as last year, numbers wise. The sad part is my other catcher is Ruschman, lol. I just can’t bring myself to give up on either one of em yet.
Father time’s career record is still 100 Billion-0
Salvy needs to be a full-time DH already. Take the pressures of Catching off of him and just let him hit
Only if he’s at risk.
You cannot outrun Father Time.
Take a look at the performances at age 35 by such Hall of Famers as Piazza, Berra, Bench and Campanella.
35 catcher years are the same as 40 for infielders.
He has a great career. But I don’t think he is a HOF. Maybe relegate him to pinch hitting several times a week. Call up Blake Mitchell he can’t be worse
Why? Just because he’s old doesn’t mean he’s a pinch hitter, he was literally all star last year
His rank among all catchers:
xBA – 5th xSLG – 3rd xWOBA – 5th
Crazy to think that back in the day, before advanced metrics were a “thing”, people would see Sal’s stats from this season and probably start asking questions like, “Should the Royals worry about Salvador Perez?”
Thank god for advancements in statistical analysis…
Are the Bolts an alternative moniker for the LA Chargers, or is that a real franchise team name somewhere?
TB Lightning
I’m not worried about Salvy. As a Tigers fan I’ve seen him struggle for a bit and then catch fire. He’ll finish with his career averages if not better.
A .274 BABIP notwithstanding, his batted ball profile is virtually the same over the past three seasons. He’s hit a bunch of warning track doubles this season which haven’t gone over the wall. Salvy will be alright.
baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/salvador-pere…
Worried? They shouldn’t be relying on a 35 year old catcher to begin with.
I don’t know who is telling you what or if you just made up a narrative, but Salvy spends the same amount of time at a combination of 1B and DH as he does at C. And he works with the the pitchers as well as any C in MLB today….and working with the pitchers is a C’s primary responsibility.
The Royals management knows what they’re doing. All a part of the plan.
The plan to have one hitter in the lineup, that plan?
Major League Baseball Fan;
They’re a small market team with the associated revenue stream.
They made the playoffs last year, and stand a good chance of doing that again this year. They’re currently 4 games over .500 in the toughest division in the AL.
Go back to your spreadsheets, rotisserie league, and computer baseball. The adults have to deal with the real world.
For being a “60+ year watcher of the game”, you really do act like a child a lot on here, Samuel. Good thing the majority of adults deal with the real world instead of building an echo chamber of superiority while authoring Bible-length speeches on the evils of rotisserie leagues on MLBTR.
When you’re at a 57 you can rebound a bit and still finish much lower than average.
I’d like to see him enjoy a resurgence.
In regards to the question, “Should the Royals be worried….?” I would say that yes they should be worried to an extent. He’s an aging catcher that is currently struggling. He’s never been a particularly patient batter either. He however has been essentially the same guy in the first half of seasons as he has in the second half so I imagine some bounce back towards his norms is due. I expect him to be slightly less than what he has been in the past based on position and age, he is however very capable of going on an absolute tear and outdoing what I would expect. But if I’m the Royals, you start planning for an alternative now if you haven’t already. The dudes certainly earned the chance to bounce back but its been a rough go early on for a team that is still very much pushing for a playoff berth.
I am more worried about Adley Rutschman.
Big Salvy is already a legend.
Yes, they should
Royals should look into trading for Harry Ford from the Mariners in exchange for Jack Castiglione, Cole Ragens (or Bubic) and throw in Erceg as a sweetener.
LOL! Not even remotely close. Throw in Gilbert or Woo, maybe.
Yeah I was being facetious.
Are you saying Ford for Castiglione AND Reagans or Bubic plus Erceg? I wouldn’t do Castiglione for Ford alone, so it doesn’t matter. You’re probably one of those guys in my fantasy leagues that wants Ohtani and you offer some guy named LaBradford Crawdaddy, just because he went 2-4 last night.
As it stands the Royals would be foolish to pick up Perez’s team option for 2026. Harry Ford will likely be a All Star catcher for somebody soon. He can hit, run and catch. At 22 the Royals would be wise to trade for him. That frees up money they can use on other positions and locks down their catching position for the next 10 years., Ford plays a premium position that is worth more than 1B.
Of course. He’s 35 and that Would Series was a decade ago.
He’s 35 and has caught 1,315 games. It happens. He’s still valuable to the team, but his glory days are behind him.
How’s his game calling, fielding, framing, leadership etc? Many of those things are also valuable for a catcher
He’s 35, a catcher, and historically struggles 2nd half… of course there is reason to be concerned. Plus let’s be honest, he’s a bigger dude. Maybe he’s fit big but that’s a big body to maintain regardless. How he was a good as he was last year and physically able to still play is a miracle to begin with
Better question should be, should the Royals be worried about them Tigers? Lol, GO TIGERS!!!
Why worry….he has a TEAM OPTION for 26 — If they think he fell off a cliff they can just deny the option.
Deport him