Royals Report: 5 Things About Bounce-Back Vs. Tigers

2) Salvador Perez Is A Superstar

Salvador Perez’s 2.1 fWAR (Wins Above Replacement as measured by Fangraphs.com) ranks 34th among all position players in baseball, and his standing is likely to improve after his 2 for 5 night on Friday that included his 12th home run of the season as well as three RBI’s.

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Perez’s solo home run broke Detroit Tigers rookie Michael Fullmer’s 33.1-inning scoreless streak, which set a record for Detroit first-year pitchers. Though Salvador’s two-out solo home run was impressive, Perez’s double in the seventh showed even more maturity.

With runners on first and second and the KC Royals leading 2-0 with two outs, Perez ran the count to 3-2 against Tigers reliever Mark Lowe. Instead of trying to do too much with two strikes, Perez shortened up his swing and poked an outside pitch into the right-center gap. The double scored two runs and put the Kansas City Royals ahead 4-0.

Salvador Perez has realized his full potential as a major league player. At age 26, Salvador Perez has won the last three AL Gold Gloves at catcher. His game calling ability is among the best in the game, as well as his knack for managing a pitching staff. Hall-Of-Fame starter Pedro Martinez tweeted about Perez last night:

Along with his phenomenal defense, Perez has figured things out at the plate. He’s now looks for pitches he can drive early in the count, rather than reaching for outside pitches that he used to slap to the opposite field. Perez only does that now when he’s got two strikes on him and needs to protect the plate. Even then, he’s got gap power when reaching.

That’s insane.

Perez’s 2.1 fWAR ranks third among catchers behind National League receivers Jonathan Lucroy (Brewers) and Wilson Ramos (Nationals). However, I bet Perez stands on top of the catching heap by season’s end.

Enjoy, KC Royals fans. Salvador Perez is signed through 2021.

Next: Bouncing Back