Chasing Cooperstown with KC Royals catcher Salvador Perez

The National Baseball Hall of Fame will announce its latest class of inductees January 23, but it's unlikely any KC Royals will hear their name called. Former Royal Carlos Beltrán is on the ballot and has a chance, but may be forced to sweat it out for at least one more year because of the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. And if and when he's elected, there's a very good chance he won't be wearing a Kansas City cap on his Cooperstown plaque.

Zack Greinke feels like a better bet, even though he is just as well-traveled as Beltrán. Attempting to guess what Greinke is thinking is a futile task, and players don't have final say on their plaque anyway, but Greinke does seem to have a much stronger connection to the Royals than Beltrán.

If Greinke's induction goes another way, does Kansas City have any realistic chance of getting someone else into the Hall of Fame? Fans are already looking at Bobby Witt Jr., but it's way too early to make a case for him.

Do any current Royals have a shot?

Salvador Perez is the best Hall of Fame candidate on KC's roster

Salvador Perez is a Kansas City icon on and off the field. He embodies everything that's fun and great about baseball, but that doesn't mean his Hall of Fame candidacy is a sure bet. And the fact that the criteria for election shifts over time as voters reevaluate what they value most makes things even harder to predict.

The best litmus test for Perez is probably the candidacy of St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina. The two players are similar, with the advantage to Molina on defense and Salvy on offense, but because Molina isn't eligible for a few years himself, let's look at the two most recent catchers inducted, and another one on the ballot for the first time this year.