Royal Salvador Perez Named All-MLB First Team Catcher

The Royals Salvador Perez was named All-MLB First Team Catcher during Major League Baseball's unveiling of it's second annual All-MLB team.

Major League Baseball unveiled it's first and second team selections for their All-MLB team on the MLB Network. According to a release from the Kansas City Royals, a combination of fan voting and a decorated panel of baseball experts made up of media members, broadcasters, former players and other officials chose the team members. Each team honors one player from each position along with five starting pitchers and two relief pitchers.

Perez beat out Atlanta’s Travis d’Arnaud and Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto as first team catcher.

This past season Perez set career highs in batting average and slugging percentage and led the Royals in homers and go ahead RBI's despite only playing in 37 out of 60 games. Additionally he ranked second in RBI's and extra base hits, and his 11 home runs ties him for third in Major League Baseball for home runs hit by a player who appeared in 37 games or less.

He accomplished all this while missing all of last season recovering from Tommy John season. He tested positive for COVID-19 at the beginning of summer camp and dealt with a lingering eye issue that caused blurred vision.

Royals website reporter Jeffery Flanagan quotes Perez as saying:

I can’t tell you how happy I am to be named to the All-MLB team. I had COVID, I had the eye issue, but I still had the season … I thank you all for voting for me.

Perez also picked up his third Louisville Silver Slugger Award earlier this off season and is also a six time All-Star and five time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner. He is in his final year of his contract with the Royals.