Chasing Cooperstown with KC Royals catcher Salvador Perez

Checking out 3 great catchers when considering Salvador Perez

Mike Piazza was elected to the Hall on his fourth try in 2016. A strong pitch framer not particularly known for his defense, his career caught-stealing percentage was only 23%, and he finished above 30% just once. However, many regard Piazza as the best offensive catcher in major league history, with the possible exception of Josh Gibson. Piazza slashed .308/.377/.545 with 427 home runs, 1,335 RBI, 2,127 hits, and 344 doubles, He had a .922 OPS, 143 OPS+, and a 59.5 bWAR and 62.5 fWAR. Over 16 seasons, he made 12 All-Star Games and won 10 Silver Sluggers.

Iván Rodríguez, on the other hand, was elected on the first ballot in 2017 after 21 big league seasons. No slouch at the plate, "Pudge" won seven Silver Sluggers and slashed .296/.334/.464 with 311 homers, 1,332 RBI, 2,844 hits, 1,354 runs, and 572 doubles; he had a .798 OPS, 106 OPS+, 68.7 bWAR, and 69.0 fWAR. He was also as good as it gets behind the dish — he won 13 Gold Gloves, led the majors in caught-stealing percentage nine times, regularly at a better than 50% rate, and finished at 46% for his career.

Rodríguez was also an excellent framer and great at managing pitching staffs. He was a 14-time All-Star, an American League MVP, and a National League Championship Series MVP.

On the Hall ballot for the first time this year, Joe Mauer was a nemesis of the Royals throughout his 15-year career with Minnesota. He appears to be a good bet for induction, and how voters judge him could be a good indicator of how they'll assess the latter part of Perez's career when the time comes. Salvy will likely see less and less time behind the plate the older he gets, and Mauer moved to first base for the final five years of his career as concussions took their toll. But while he was behind the plate, Mauer definitely hit his marks.

Mauer led the AL in caught-stealing percentage twice, and finished with a 33% rate for his career. He played in six All-Star Games, was the 2009 AL MVP, won five Silver Sluggers, and was a three-time AL batting champ. He slashed .306/.388/.439, had 143 home runs, drove in 923 runs, had 2,123 hits, and posted a .827 OPS, 124 OPS+, 55.2 bWAR, and 53.0 fWAR.

So, how does Perez compare to those three excellent backstops?

How does Salvador Perez compare to the trio of superb catchers?

Now 33 and preparing for his 13th major league season, Perez has decent offensive stats. He's slashing .267/.300/.459, with 246 home runs, 812 RBI, 1,411 hits, 257 doubles, a .759 OPS, 104 OPS+, 33.0 bWAR, and 15.3 fWAR.

But although he's a five-time Gold Glover, some criticize his defense, probably because of his poor framing; but until last season, he was one of the best in baseball at controlling the running game. He's led the AL three times in caught-stealing percentage and has thrown out 34% of would-be stealers in his career. But that rate dropped to 14% in 2023.

Perez has been to eight All-Star games, was the World Series MVP when the Royals won the 2015 Fall Classic, and owns a franchise-record four Silver Sluggers. He was named the 2021 AL Comeback Player of the Year, and led the majors in RBI (121) and tied for the led the AL home run lead (48) that same year.

Perez won't match Piazza, Rodríguez or Mauer in plate discipline, and his batting average, OPS and WAR will never equal theirs. But Perez hitting a few achievable milestones will help his Hall of Fame case — if he can get to 400 homers, 1,000 RBI, 2,000 hits, and 400 doubles, his chances of reaching Cooperstown go way up. But will they make him an absolute lock?

No, but every bit helps. And if Salvy ultimately falls short, he definitely has a spot waiting for him in the Royals Hall of Fame.

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