The 2019 MLB regular season may have caused some of us to forget that Salvador Perez was supposed to be the new face of the Kansas City Royals franchise. Following the departures of Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain, Perez inherited the role. He’s earned it, too.
A six-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, Perez has been regarded as one of the best catchers in all of baseball for the past half-decade. That reputation took a bit of a hit, though, when the Venezuelan-born superstar injured the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow during 2019 Spring Training.