Salvador Perez

Salvador Perez is a durable, powerful catcher who has anchored the Kansas City Royals for over a decade.

Salvador Johan Pérez Díaz was born on May 10, 1990, in Valencia, in Venezuela's Carabobo state. His father left the family when Salvador was four years old, leaving his mother, Yilda Díaz, to raise him alone in a modest barrio, supporting the household by selling homemade cakes, flan, and lasagna on the street. To keep her only child occupied and out of trouble, Yilda enrolled him in a local baseball school, where his talent was obvious almost immediately — he was throwing, catching, and hitting well by age six. He played shortstop and pitcher in his early years before setting his heart on catching at age 14, growing up playing alongside and against a fellow future major leaguer from Venezuela, Jose Altuve. The Kansas City Royals signed Pérez as a 16-year-old international free agent in 2006 for a reported $65,000 bonus. He spent five years working through the Royals' minor league system before debuting in the majors on August 10, 2011, immediately impressing with his defense and hitting .331 in his first 39 games. A knee injury cost him much of the 2012 season, but he returned to become Kansas City's everyday catcher for over a decade. Pérez's defining moment came in the 2015 World Series, when he caught every inning of Kansas City's five-game triumph over the New York Mets, hit .364, and was unanimously named World Series MVP — the franchise's first championship in 30 years. He has gone on to make nine All-Star teams, win five Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers, and in 2021 he hit 48 home runs, the most ever by a primary catcher in a single season, breaking a record Johnny Bench had held since 1970. He missed the entire 2019 season recovering from Tommy John surgery but returned to be named the Royals' fourth team captain in franchise history in 2023. Off the field, Pérez has become one of baseball's most active philanthropists, returning to Valencia each offseason to distribute food and supplies to thousands of families, fund surgeries for children born with cleft lips, and support local hospitals and police departments — work that earned him the Roberto Clemente Award, MLB's highest individual honor for community impact, in 2024. Known to fans as "Salvy" and "El Niño," Pérez became a U.S. citizen in a naturalization ceremony at Royals FanFest and captained Venezuela to its first-ever World Baseball Classic title in 2026.

Strong defensive catcher with power hitting ability

One of the best catchers of his generation

• World Series champion & MVP (2015)
• 9x All-Star
• 5x Gold Glove
• 5x Silver Slugger
• AL Comeback Player of the Year (2020)