Fansided

Each MLB team’s current Hall of Famer

By Benjamin Chase

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 27: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first baseman Albert Pujols (5) and center fielder Mike Trout (27) head for the dugout after both scored on an Angels hit in the seventh inning of a game against the New York Yankees played on April 27, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 27: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first baseman Albert Pujols (5) and center fielder Mike Trout (27) head for the dugout after both scored on an Angels hit in the seventh inning of a game against the New York Yankees played on April 27, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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MLB Hall of Fame
KANSAS CITY, MO – APRIL 13: Kansas City Royals Catcher Salvador Perez (13) waves to fans in the stands during warmups before the MLB regular season game between the Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Angels on Friday April 13th, 2018 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Kansas City Royals: Salvador Perez

Much like the argument for Yadi Molina, Perez will likely end up needing a boost from intangibles to get over the hump for election, but much like Yadi, those intangibles are very, very highly regarded.

Perez has been a consistent defensive stalwart for the Royals for the past 7 seasons, and he’s just entering his age-28 season, still under contract with the Royals until 2021. He was the backstop that seemingly played daily during the Royals’ deep postseason runs of 2014 and 2015, garnering the World Series MVP in the Royals first World Series victory in 30 years. Even in 2014, when the Royals lost to the Giants in 7 games, Perez shone on the biggest stage, hitting .333/.360/.500 for the series with a home run, catching in his 161st game of the year.

That workload has become a worry for Perez, and the Royals have intentionally tried to lessen it since, with Salvy totaling less than 130 games behind the plate the last two seasons. Interestingly, less use behind the plate has led to more production at the plate for Perez, as he’s seen his power output jump from 17 home runs in the 2014 season to 27 in 2017 in 20 less games and over 100 less plate appearances.

His power could be the statistical piece of the puzzle that helps push Perez beyond just the narrative when it comes time for MLB Hall of Fame voters to review his resume. If he could put together 2-3 30-home runs seasons over the next 4 seasons, he could change the narrative heavily from just a defensive/leadership angle to a guy with some serious thump at the plate, bringing him to 200+ home runs. Even being able to reach 261 home runs would put him into the top 10 of catchers all-time in the statistic and add a significance to his MLB Hall of Fame argument.

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