Royals: Positional battle, Salvador Perez needs a backup

One young option for the Kansas City Royals may take the position, allowing fans to see if he can continue his great defensive production.

Meibrys Viloria

Meibrys Viloria is another likely option along with Gallagher. After a short 10 game stint during the 2018 season, Viloria saw action in 42 games during 2019. He is very young at only 22 years old, but he has great defensive ability and could grow into a starting catcher someday.

To be a starting catcher, though, Viloria will need to work on his offense. In his 42 games in 2019, Viloria slashed .211/.259/.286. with 15 RBIs, 7 runs, and 1 home run. These numbers aren’t great, but Viloria has seen very limited major league time so there is a chance he could turn things around if given the opportunity.

Defensively, Viloria was spot on. He carried a .997 fielding percentage and had a caught-stealing rate of 41 percent, a very Savly-like number. This number could go down as he gets more playing time, as he converted 9 of13, but with his stellar defense and ability to move, he could likely keep his percentage in the high 20s-30s.

Viloria is a solid option for backup catcher, but with his young age, he may still benefit from some time in the minor leagues, allowing him to grow and learn everything he can before being set free in the majors.