1990
Born May 10, 1990
Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela
Salvador Pérez Marquee
b. May 10, 1990 · Kansas City Royals 2011–2018, 2020–2025
In 2021 he hit 48 home runs and drove in 121, leading the American League in both. No catcher has hit more in a season. He has played all fourteen of his seasons for Kansas City, which drafted no part of him — he was signed out of Venezuela at sixteen.
Fourteen seasons have given him 1,712 hits, 303 home runs and 1,016 runs batted in, with nine All-Star selections, five Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers. He was the most valuable player of the 2015 World Series, which Kansas City won, and won the Roberto Clemente Award in 2024.
The catching is the durable part: he has caught 1,383 games, more than anyone in the club's history, and has led his league in games caught repeatedly, which is the statistic that shortens careers. He is still playing.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star selection | 9 | 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024 |
| Gold Glove | 5 | 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 |
| Silver Slugger | 5 | 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024 |
| The Sporting News All-Star | 3 | 2016, 2020, 2021 |
| All-MLB Team - First Team | 2 | 2020, 2021 |
| All-MLB Team - Second Team | 1 | 2024 |
| Lou Gehrig Memorial Award | 1 | 2021 |
| Player of the Week | 1 | 2021 |
| Roberto Clemente Award | 1 | 2024 |
| World Series MVP | 1 | 2015 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | KCR | 39 | 148 | 20 | 49 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 7 | 20 | 0 | .331 |
| 2012 | KCR | 76 | 289 | 38 | 87 | 16 | 0 | 11 | 39 | 12 | 27 | 0 | .301 |
| 2013 | KCR | 138 | 496 | 48 | 145 | 25 | 3 | 13 | 79 | 21 | 63 | 0 | .292 |
| 2014 | KCR | 150 | 578 | 57 | 150 | 28 | 2 | 17 | 70 | 22 | 85 | 1 | .260 |
| 2015 | KCR | 142 | 531 | 52 | 138 | 25 | 0 | 21 | 70 | 13 | 82 | 1 | .260 |
| 2016 | KCR | 139 | 514 | 57 | 127 | 28 | 2 | 22 | 64 | 22 | 119 | 0 | .247 |
| 2017 | KCR | 129 | 471 | 57 | 126 | 24 | 1 | 27 | 80 | 17 | 95 | 1 | .268 |
| 2018 | KCR | 129 | 510 | 52 | 120 | 23 | 0 | 27 | 80 | 17 | 108 | 1 | .235 |
| 2020 | KCR | 37 | 150 | 22 | 50 | 12 | 0 | 11 | 32 | 3 | 36 | 1 | .333 |
| 2021 | KCR | 161 | 620 | 88 | 169 | 24 | 0 | 48 | 121 | 28 | 170 | 1 | .273 |
| 2022 | KCR | 114 | 445 | 48 | 113 | 23 | 1 | 23 | 76 | 18 | 109 | 0 | .254 |
| 2023 | KCR | 140 | 538 | 59 | 137 | 21 | 0 | 23 | 80 | 19 | 135 | 0 | .255 |
| 2024 | KCR | 158 | 590 | 58 | 160 | 28 | 0 | 27 | 104 | 44 | 129 | 0 | .271 |
| 2025 | KCR | 155 | 597 | 54 | 141 | 35 | 0 | 30 | 100 | 28 | 125 | 0 | .236 |
| Career | — | 1707 | 6477 | 710 | 1712 | 320 | 11 | 303 | 1016 | 271 | 1303 | 6 | .264 |
On this day & linked events
2011
Major-league debut: Salvador Pérez
Salvador Pérez made a major-league debut on August 10, 2011.
Image: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0