Kansas City Royals: The mold of a future Royals catcher

Just as the Kansas City Royals are a team known for speed and defense, they are also a team who knows what they want out of their backstop.

The current Kansas City Royals catcher, Salvador Perez, acts as the model for what can be in the future. The calling card for Perez is, of course, his defensive abilities. His hitting has proved to be more that serviceable over the years.

With the new MLB Pipeline rankings, the systems belief in what makes a good catcher has become increasingly clear. There are three catchers who crack the top 30 and they all appear to be cut from the same cloth of tools.

MJ Melendez, Meibrys Viloria, and Sebastian Rivero are all prospects that want their chance to eventually become the next great Royals catcher. Each of them are very similar, starting with their 60 grade arm.

Melendez has above average power. Among the three of them that is the only tool outside of their defensive abilities that ranks in as above average.

All three are known for their defensive prowess, which is not uncommon for the catcher position. Bat first catchers are hard to come by in the professional ranks. This trio of backstops are all very similar.

Each of them posses a 45 hit tool. That is just a coincidence, but it does not define the group. Each of them hit .250-.260 across their leagues in the 2018 season.

With three catchers in the top prospect list, it brings hope for the future at backstop for the Kansas City Royals. The obvious favorite is Melendez and that is because he is ultra-talented. It looks as if he is the heir-apparent to the Perez throne.

The Kansas City Royals know what they like in their catchers because its worked in the past. It seems as though they are going for a similar mold with their top backstop prospects. After all, they now have three cracks at getting a productive catcher with a strong arm when Perez is done.