In 13 years in the Major Leagues, Salvador Perez has racked up accolades.
He’s a nine-time All-Star, a five-time Gold Glove and four-time Silver Slugger winner, played in a World Series, and won the 2020 American League Comeback Player of the Year. His 48 homers in 2021 are a record for home runs in a season by a catcher.
Now, at age 34, he’s a key piece on a rebuilt Kansas City Royals club that is aimed towards an American league Wild Card berth under second-year manager Matt Quatraro. Perez has had a solid season with Kansas City, and is a approaching career-high in RBIs. His batting average is the second-highest across a season where he’s played at least 100 games, and he has a .279/.340/.480 batting line, 27 homers and 102 RBIs this year.
This week, Perez, a native of Valencia, Venezuela, was on fire, batting .474/.542/.789 in six games, going 9-for-19 with two homers and eight RBIs as the Royals went 4-2, earning him World Baseball Network’s International Major League Baseball Player of the Week honors.
Over the week, Perez had three two-RBI games, two against the New York Yankees on September 9 and 10 and another at Pittsburgh on September 12.
While Perez is probably not going to set a new career high in RBis this season, as he needs 19 over the 14 games the Royals have remaining, he’s put up what might be the second-best year of his career.
The Royals finish out a three-game set in Pittsburgh before returning home to face the Detroit Tigers Monday through Wednesday. After an off day Thursday, they host the San Francisco Giants next weekend.
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WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo Credit: Salvador Perez #13 of the Kansas City Royals celebrates his two-run home run with teammates during the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on September 13, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
