SURPRISE, Ariz. — It’s tantamount to heresy to suggest in the big data baseball age, but there truly isn’t an adequate statistic that can measure the full impact Salvador Perez’s lost season had on the Kansas City Royals last year.
This past Friday marked the one-year anniversary of Perez’s season-ending Tommy John surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament. Surgeon Neal ElAttrache performed the operation in Los Angeles and Perez’s season ended before it ever started.
One year later, “Salvy” has cleared all the necessary hurdles and reached the appropriate benchmarks to indicate he’s ready for another season as the Royals’ decorated, respected and energetic franchise catcher, one of the best two-way players at the game’s most demanding position at age 29.
“That was a somber day just in terms of feeling the way we felt for him, I mean all the guy wants to do is play ball,” Royals pitcher Danny Duffy said of receiving the news about Perez last year. “When that came out, we really felt it for him first. Then we realized that kind of loss in the lineup and on the field is huge.
“That’s not to take anything from what our other catchers did, but that was a tough day for the entire team. We’re glad he’s back, and we’re pumped that he’s ready to go and he’s back to doing what he does best.”
A member of the organization since he signed as an international free agent at 16, Perez has grown to become synonymous with the Royals.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound catcher grew into a larger than life figure as spectators became more familiar with his infectious smile and personality as well as his unfiltered joy for the game. His influence has only grown as he played a central role in their World Series championship in 2015.
The Salvy Splash, a Gatorade bucket dumped during a postgame interview on a player who had a pivotal performance, became a trademark celebration even during lean times in recent years.
In the clubhouse, Perez has become almost a big brother to the Latin players as well as seemingly all the catchers. Where veteran outfielder Alex Gordon has played more of a lead-by-example role throughout his career, though he has been more vocal at times in recent years, Perez has always had an undeniable presence and a boisterous demeanor.
“I just have been in a similar situation where when you lose one of those guys that’s a heartbeat of what you do, and it’s a kick in the gut,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said of losing a player like Perez. “It just takes the wind out of individuals, takes the wind out of a clubhouse culture. I wasn’t around the clubhouse enough (last year), but I’ve seen it happen before and I know now. Even the other day when we had him as the DH, the life is different. One guy can do that. That’s pretty special.”
Matheny spent last season as a special adviser for the Royals, working mostly in the minors. A former Gold Glove catcher himself, Matheny hasn’t been shy about expressing how envious he is that Perez plays the position with such joy.
So far in his first spring training as Perez’s manager, Matheny said he’s been “celebrating” along with Perez and reminding him on a regular basis the “huge impact” he has on his teammates.
“We have so many of the young players in (the clubhouse) early,” Matheny said. “A big part of that is that Salvy is in there, and it’s got this vibe, almost a club, in there.”
Prior to the team arriving in Arizona, Matheny recommended a book to the players on leadership and the sacrifices and responsibility that comes along with it. He looks at what Perez does naturally on a daily basis, and the way it affects other players as “a gift.”
“That’s leadership,” Matheny said. “We talk a lot about leadership. To me it’s really about having followership more than anything else and he’s got guys that are following him.”
