Salvador Perez
Salvador Perez, is the MLB star whom you may recognize as a current player with the Kansas City Royals.
Salvador, aka ‘Salvy’ or ‘El Niño’ has carved out his legacy as one of the greatest catchers in franchise history.
The 30-year-old is said to have signed a four-year extension contract with the team which is worth a franchise-record $82 million.
Perez was born on May 10, 1990 in Valencia, Venezuela and made his debut with the Royals in 2011.
Check out below 10 of the most notable moments in his career so far.
1. He jumped onto the Royals’ radar as a teenager
Perez jumped onto the Royals’ radar in 2006 as a 16-year-old infielder in Venezuela, when Orlando Estevez, now the Royals’ coordinator of Latin American scouting, asked if Perez could throw from behind home plate. Something about catching felt right to Perez, and the Royals signed him as a catcher that year.
2. A debut to remember
Most players make an impact in their first game with the bat. Perez did it by picking off two Rays runners on Aug. 1, 2011. Perez caught Casey Kotchman at first and Sam Fuld at third. Perez also had an RBI and scored a run in an 8-7 loss.
3. He has represented his country.
He represented his native Venezuela at the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
4. Golden Glove Award winner
Salvador won his first Gold Glove Award and earned his first All-Star game nod in 2013.
5. He has won MVP honors
He hit .364 with two doubles and two RBIs in five games in the 2015 World Series.
Perez was named World Series MVP after leading the Kansas City Royals to victory over the New York Mets in five games in 2015.
6. He is a six-time All-Star
A six-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove Award winner and three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Perez enters the year with 138 career home runs as a catcher, which ranks third in the Majors among active players.
7. ALDS homer
Perez hit a two-run homer that staked the Royals to a 2-0 lead over the Houston Astros in the second inning of Game 4 of the 2015 American League Division Series. The Royals ended up rallying for a 9-6 victory that is part of Kansas City lore.
8. He holds great records
Perez ranks seventh in franchise history in homers (152), ninth in extra-base hits (351), 10th in RBIs (535) and total bases (1,657) and tied for 10th in slugging percentage (.449).
9. Five hits
Perez was the second catcher in Royals history to have five hits in a game when he went 5 for 5 against the Twins on May 23 in Minnesota.
10. Comeback player
He’s coming off a 2020 season in which he was named American League Comeback Player of the Year after missing all of 2019 recovering from Tommy John surgery. He hit .333 with 11 homers and 32 RBIs over 37 games.
Find the MLB star on Instagram here.
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