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KC Royals Lineup: 3 big questions behind the plate

By Mike Gillespie |
/ Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
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Welcome to the first installment of our Kings of Kauffman "KC Royals Lineup" series in which we'll be identifying and analyzing issues the club may face at each position heading into the 2023 season. Up today is catching.

Serious problems have plagued the KC Royals since 2016, the season they last seriously contended for a spot in the postseason. Starting pitching, holes at first and third bases and in right field, and declining defense and weak offense continue to block the club's path to October baseball.

Conspicuously absent from that list of maladies is catching, which isn't at all surprising considering the presence of Salvador Perez, owner of the biggest contract in franchise history, behind the plate. Only in 2019, when a torn UCL forced him out of action all year, did the Royals truly lack a superb catcher.

Barring anything more than the normal wear and tear catching visits upon those who, like Perez, have long manned the position (11 big league seasons so far for Perez), there will be no competition to determine which Royal starts behind the plate this season when spring camp opens next week. Perez will, no ifs, ands or buts about it, be the man when Kansas City begins the regular season March 30 at home against Minnesota. But even with Perez locked in, three big questions surround the club's catching corps.

Question 1: How much will Salvador Perez catch for the KC Royals this year?

Determining the extent of Perez's workload is the most critical catching issue confronting new manager Matt Quatraro. Perez's love of working behind the plate, and his desire to catch as often as possible, are both well-chronicled, but things Quatraro must, all things considered, keep in check.

Perez turns 33 in May, an age requiring close attention when it comes to catchers. The seven-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glover, and club-record four-time Silver Slugger is also the catcher of over 1,100 major league games; consequently, he'll need more time off, which for Perez means weekly days off and taking turns at DH.

How often Quatraro rests Perez, then, is the question. Despite twice visiting the Injured List with thumb issues, Perez caught 124 times last season; look for that number to go down to around 110 this year.

On to the next question.

Question 2: Who will be the main backup catcher for the KC Royals this year?

Kansas City fans may have been a bit surprised when the club added catcher Freddy Fermin to its 40-man roster to protect him from last December's Rule 5 Draft. That the Royals made the move was, though, logical given Perez's length of service and age and the emergence of MJ Melendez as an everyday player.

Melendez debuted in May and although his .217 129-game batting average was, and is, concerning, his 18 homers and 62 RBIs mean he needs to play every day on a team struggling to compete. Catching every day, though, something the Royals apparently want Melendez to do eventully, is out of the question as long as Perez remains productive and healthy.

So, Kansas City's effort to make Melendez a left fielder, at least for the time being, will continue this spring and into the regular season and raise another issue: who will back up Perez, Melendez or Fermin?

Unless the club trades for or signs another backstop, or breaks spring camp with prospect Logan Porter (more on him in a moment). the answer is "both." Fair to say is that the Royals still consider Melendez to be their catcher of the future so, to improve his catching skills, Quatraro will most often substitute Melendez for Perez when the latter takes a day off or DH's. Fermin will get some work, though, primarily in the late innings or when Melendez needs a break.

And Fermin is Quatraro's insurance in case injury or other circumstances force Perez and Melendez out of the same game.

And the third question is...

Question 3: Can the KC Royals find a roster spot for catcher Logan Porter?

Should the Royals so choose, they can look elsewhere than Fermin for an internal option to back up Perez and, occasionally, Melendez behind the plate. And that might be their best course of action.

Left off the 40-man roster and thus exposed to the Rule 5 draft was Logan Porter, a promising hitter who we suggested at the time was arguably deserving of neither circumstance. He may well be a better choice for a spot on the Opening Day roster than Fermin.

The reasons are these. While both are adequate defensively, Porter's bat is a bit better than Fermin's and he's more versatile. Splitting last season between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha, Porter batted .301, posted a stellar .442 OBP, hit 13 homers, and drove in 62 runs while Fermin hit .270 with a ,365 OBP, clubbed 15 homers, and had 56 RBIs at Omaha. (Fermin also went 0-for-7 with the Royals in three games as one of the 10 replacements for KC players whose vaccination statuses prevented them from playing a series against Toronto in Canada).

In four minor league seasons, Porter has 37 home runs, 160 RBIs and a .293/.428/.497 line; in six minor league campaigns, Fermin has just three more homers than Porter, 219 RBIs, and a .268/.350/.408 slash. Porter has actually played more at first base than behind the plate (125 games to 82), and even has some experience at third. Fermin has caught and DH'd.

Conceivably, then, the Royals could choose to keep Porter when spring training ends, giving them a decent third catcher, a good bat off the bench, and a player capable of working behind the plate and at first and third bases.

Will they find that kind of spot for Porter? We shall see.

Next. Projecting Bobby Witt Jr.'s 2023. dark

How will the Royals answer their three catching questions?

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