The terms “surefire Hall of Famer” and the name Salvador Perez have been linked for many years. But is that accurate? Should I?
As I mentioned in my previous article about Zack Greinke being inducted into the Hall of Fame, bad teams have to find a way to sell tickets.
It’s one of the popular ways for MLB teams to focus their marketing efforts on their best players and spout hype.
Of course, if the players aren’t good, it won’t work. But when a player sticks around longer, achieves long-term success, or plays for a really long time, the words “surefire Hall of Famer/or “next stop is Cooperstown” come out of their mouths.
Like the weather forecaster in the forest, no one remembers yesterday’s weather forecast, let alone a week ago.
Because, who’s going to fact check?
is it so.
That’s why this article exists. To learn about the Baseball Hall of Fame candidacy of Royals catcher Salvador Perez (aka SALVY).
I will use the exact criteria that the Baseball Hall of Fame uses. Here’s the fine print from the Baseball Hall of Fame website:
Voting: Voting is based on the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contribution to the team for which the player plays.
It’s definitely a vague definition. So let’s analyze each of Perez’s cases as best as we can.
player’s record: As of this writing (8/22/25), Salvador Perez is in his 14th season.
In those 14 seasons, Perez had 295 home runs, 987 RBI, 1,687 hits, and a career batting average of .266.
He has more home runs than walks (266)!
Perez played in the 2014 World Series, where the Giants defeated the Royals in seven games. The Royals won the World Series in 2015, and Salvy was named World Series MVP.
But how can we quantify his impact on the game as a catcher? We’ll cover this later.
playing ability:
– 9-time All-Star (2013–2018, 2021, 2023, 2024)
– World Series Champion (2015)
– World Series MVP (2015)
– 2× All-MLB First Team (2020, 2021)
– MLB All-Second Team (2024)
– 5× Gold Glove Awards (2013~2016, 2018)
– Silver Slugger Award 5 times (2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024)
– AL Comeback Player of the Year (2020)
– Roberto Clemente Award (2024)
– Joint leader in MLB home runs (2021)
– MLB RBI leader (2021)
– Most home runs by a catcher in a single season (48 in 2021)
Honesty, sportsmanship, character: Let’s tie this all together because it’s a word salad/collection of synonyms that your 3rd grade English teacher would be proud to know are synonyms.
Have you ever seen Salvie without a smile on his face at the ballpark? Sociable.
Every time he plays, it seems like it’s the best moment of his life. Pure joy. Laugh with your teammates, coaches, opponents, and even referees.
That’s really significant because the Royals have batted above .500 in five of their 14 seasons. And they advanced to the postseason only three times.
Looking more closely, the Royals have lost more than 100 games in three seasons over that same span. The Royals’ combined record in 2018 and 2019 is 117 wins and 207 losses.
If he was going to complain, it would have already happened. He never complained about his contract or broke it. He has never had any problems off the field.
It’s vague, but Salvy checks all the boxes in the “integrity, sportsmanship, character” section.
contribution to the team: Is there another MLB player more synonymous with his team? Salvy is Royals.
The only player that comes closest is Aaron Judge/Yankees. This is due to the fact that NYC is the largest media market. And he’s never had a season below .500.
Salvy participated in the postseason three times and appeared in a total of 37 games. He had 32 hits, 6 home runs, 15 RBI, and a batting average of .229. Additionally, he earned the 2015 World Series MVP award for his winning efforts.
His career 295 home runs are second only to Hall of Famer George Brett (317) in Royals history. His 987 RBI ranks fourth behind Amos Otis (992), Hal McRae (1,012) and Brett (1,596).
His multiple home runs in 20 games is a club record. Hitting 20 or more home runs in nine seasons is a club record. 28.6 Offensive His WAR is the 5th highest in franchise history. His 699 points are the 8th most scored, one point behind Mike Sweeney.
His 34.8 WAR for a position player is tied for 5th with Frank White. His defensive WAR of 13.7 is second only to Frank White (21.9).
Also, how do you quantify his status as “The Captain”? How many pitchers have gotten better for one AB or for their entire career?
How many times has his baseball intelligence and attention to nuance led to positive results that otherwise would not have occurred?
This is what makes a good catcher more effective than any other position on the ballpark.
Salvador Perez Hall of Fame Player Comparison
At this point it’s clear. Salvador Perez is definitely a top 10 player in Royals history and probably in the top five.
But how has he historically performed against the best catchers in MLB history?
– He is 8th all-time in home runs (295), 12 behind ‘The Kid’ Gary Carter (307).
– He is 15th in RBIs (987), three behind Ernie Lombardi (990).
– He ranks 29th on all-time games played (1,641).
– He is the 22nd highest scorer of all time (699).
-19th in hits (1,687).
– He is 15th in doubles (314).
– 11th in hits by pitch (92)
– 6th in strikeouts (1,252)
There are 20 catchers in the MLB Hall of Fame. Among position players, there are the second fewest after third basemen (19).
I will use the following sentence to compare Salvy to Twin’s Joe Mauer.
Mauer has played 15 seasons, one more than Salvy’s current 14/2025 season. So let’s look at the best comparison we can get.
Mauer was the most recent catcher inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (2024).
Actually, I was wrong. One graphic was enough. Is Salvador Perez really in the Hall of Fame? Based on this graphic comparing him to Mauer: yes.
Before Mauer, Ted Simmons was inducted into the HOF in 2020. For Salvy fans, this is more of a wake-up call.
Simmons had an outstanding career that spanned 20 seasons. Not bad for a guy from Omaha, Nebraska who attended Millard South High School, about 1.5 miles from where I am writing this.
If you run out of salvy dead Right now, he’s probably ahead of Simmons in the most important categories: dingers, extra-base hits, team accomplishments, and success. I joked about long hits.
As of now, we’ll likely see a 50/50 split in the vote when Simmons vs. Salvy goes head-to-head against the other Baseball Sickos.
Salvy expanded his career by becoming a legitimate first baseman. Looking at his performance this season, it’s easy to guess that he will play for at least two more seasons.
As he does so, he will begin accumulating more and more offensive statistics.
It’s something voters like and people can easily point to it as another “yes” factor. This is because catchers have historically been viewed as having less offensive prowess in the context of other positions.
However, considering Mauer legitimately lowered his batting average, which is the standard for inclusion in the Hall of Fame for catchers, Salvy is undoubtedly in the Hall of Fame.
If you want to completely break your heart, take a look at “Carlton’s Fisk.”
Oh my god look at the hose numbers!!
Lastly, Salvador Perez should be in the Hall of Fame.
