Full name is Salvador Johan Perez (Diaz)…resides in Valencia, Venezuela, with wife, Maria Gabriela, sons, Salvador, Jr. and Johan and daughter, Paulina...Became a U.S. citizen during a naturalization ceremony at Royals FanFest on Jan. 25, 2020... Played for the Venezuelan National Team in the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classic tournaments...Played for the Major League All-Stars in their Tour of Japan in November 2014...Participated in Royals FanFest, 2010-20 as well as a calendar shoot for Braden’s Hope for childhood cancer research, the annual Gloves for Kids fundraiser and events at the Guadalupe Center in Kansas City…also appeared at the annual Diamond of Dreams events, donated items for the Royals Charities Broadcast Auction and has met with kids during batting practice as part of the Dream Factory...Has also volunteered at events at the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy.
2020
Named a Louisville Silver Slugger for the third time… also tabbed MLB Comeback Player of the Year and AllMLB First Team...Despite playing in just 37 games, set career highs in batting average (.333) and slugging percentage (.633), which was the second-highest in franchise history (min. 150 PA), behind only George Brett (.664) in his 1980 AL MVP season...Earned his first Les Milgram Player of the Year Award, which was voted on by the Kansas City chapter of the BBWAA...Appeared in 37 games, making 33 starts behind the plate, one at first base and three as the designated hitter…missed 20 games due to swelling in his left eye, and was on the Injured List from Aug. 21-Sept. 11…also missed 10 days of Summer Camp (July 4-14) due to a stint on the IL...Made his first Opening Day start since 2017 after missing the previous two season openers due to injury...Despite playing in just 37 games, led the team in home runs (11) and go-ahead RBI (8), and ranked second in RBI (32) and extra-base hits (23)...His 11 home runs were tied for third most by a player who appeared in 37 games or fewer, trailing only Frank Thomas (12 HR in 34 games) in 2005 (when he battled multiple injuries) and Ted Williams (13 HR in 37 games) in 1953 (when he missed most of the season serving in the Korean War)... All 11 of his home runs came as a catcher, matching JT Realmuto for the most in the Majors as a catcher...Batted .307 (27-for-88) with six doubles, four homers, 12 RBI and a .511 slugging percentage over his first 24 games through Aug. 17, and hit .371 (23-for-62) with six doubles, seven homers, 20 RBI and a .806 slugging percentage in his final 15 contests, after returning from the IL on Sept. 11... From Sept. 11 through season’s end, ranked tied for second in the Majors in RBI (20), extra-base hits (13) and total bases (50), and was third in slugging percentage (.806) and tied for third in homers (7)… batted a Majors-best .451 (23-for-51) from Sept. 11-24, before going 0-for-11 in his final three games...Tied for fourth in the American League with seven games of at least three hits—despite playing in just 37 games—including a four-hit game on Sept. 18 at Milwaukee to mark his sixth career game with four hits or more and first since recording a career-high five hits on May 23, 2016 at Minnesota...Slashed .357/.370/.643 (41-for-115) vs. right-handed pitching, ranking second in the American League in both batting average and slugging (min. 100 PA vs. RHP), trailing José Iglesias (.373 average) and Mike Trout (.664 slugging percentage), respectively...Recorded a .640 slugging percentage in 75 at-bats at Kauffman Stadium (6 doubles, 5 homers), which was the third-highest slugging percentage in the 48-year history of the ballpark (min. 75 at-bats), trailing only George Brett (.685) in 1980 and Bob Hamelin (.646) in 1994...Hit safely in 14 of 15 Interleague games, batting .418 (28- for-67) with an .806 slugging percentage (8 doubles, 6 homers)…since Interleague play began in 1997, the only Royals with a higher batting average in a season vs. NL opponents were Joe Randa (.508) in 1999 and David DeJesus (.436) in 2006...Recorded six game-winning RBI, tying for sixth in the American League, two behind league leaders José Abreu, Matt Olson, Kyle Seager and Kyle Tucker...Hit back-to-back homers with Jorge Soler on July 25 at Cleveland (1st inning off Mike Clevinger) and Aug. 8 vs. Minnesota (3rd off Cody Stashak)...Recorded a season-high 11-game hitting streak (Aug. 2-15), in which he batted .388 (19-for-49) with five doubles, two homers, seven RBI and seven runs scored… marked his seventh career streak of 11 games or more...Had two hits in the third inning on Sept. 13 vs. Pittsburgh, including a solo HR to begin the frame and an RBI single…was the first Royal with two run-scoring hits in an inning since Mike Moustakas on May 8, 2018 at Baltimore (solo HR, 2-run single in 10-run 1st)...Hit safely in his first nine games after returning from the Injured List from Sept. 11-21, batting .474 (18-for-38) with nine extra-base hits and 12 RBI...Recorded an extra-base hit in six straight games from Sept. 11-18, the longest streak by a Royal since Eric Hosmer’s six-game stretch from May 25-31, 2016 and two shy of the franchise record (Danny Tartabull, June 25-July 3, 1991)…also had multiple hits in six consecutive games from Sept. 11-18, which was the longest streak of its kind since Kendrys Morales did it in six consecutive games (June 25-30, 2016), and was two shy of the franchise record, shared by three players...Became the second Royal with six consecutive games with multiple hits and at least one extra-base hit, joining George Brett (July 15-20, 1990)…he was the third player since 1900 to record such a streak as a catcher, joining Smoky Burgess (April 25-May 2, 1959) and Jimmie Foxx (Aug. 11-17, 1940)...Recorded four hits, four RBI, with a home run and a stolen base on Sept. 18 at Milwaukee…his stolen base marked the fifth of his career and first since May 1, 2018 at Boston, snapping a streak of 147 games without one…he became the ninth catcher in the Modern Era (since 1900) to record at least four hits, four RBI, a home run and a stolen base in a game and the first since Baltimore’s Pedro Severino on July 27, 2019...Homered twice and collected five RBI on Sept. 23 vs. St. Louis, with a two-run homer in the first and a three-run shot in the third, off Carlos Martínez…it marked his sixth career multi-homer game and first since Aug. 15, 2018 vs. Toronto…became the third Royals catcher with a two-homer, five-RBI game, joining John Buck on April 14, 2009 and Mike Macfarlane on July 14, 1991…added a double in the fifth for his second career game with three extra-base hits…the five RBI matched a career high, following his five-RBI efforts on Sept. 14, 2018 vs. Minnesota and April 19, 2016 vs. Detroit... Following his two-homer game on Sept. 24, he homered the next day to mark the 20th time he’s homered in consecutive games and second in 2020 (also Sept. 16- 18)…it marked the second time he had back-to-back games with three RBI or more (Sept. 16-18), after doing so just twice prior to 2020.
2019
Missed the entire season, suffering a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament during Spring Training…had Tommy John surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on March 6.
2018
Matched his career highs in homers (27) and RBI (80), both previously done in 2017, despite missing the first 20 games of the season with a sprained MCL...Named an American League All-Star for the sixth consecutive season and started at catcher for the fifth straight year, joining George Brett (1976-79, 1981-85) as the only Royals to start in five All-Star Games… became the first catcher to start at least five consecutive All-Star Games since Iván Rodríguez started nine straight from 1993-01, and is one of five players to be named an All-Star in each of the last six seasons (since 2013), joining: Paul Goldschmidt, Chris Sale, Max Scherzer and Mike Trout...Named American League Louisville Silver Slugger Award winner at catcher for the second time (also: 2016), joining George Brett (3) and Willie Wilson (2) as the only Royals to win the honor multiple times since it was established in 1980...Earned Rawlings Gold Glove honors for the fifth time (also: 2013-16), becoming one of seven catchers to win at least five Rawlings Gold Gloves, joining: Iván 'Pudge' Rodríguez (13), Johnny Bench (10), Yadier Molina (9), Bob Boone (7), Jim Sundberg (6) and Bill Freehan (5)...He's the sixth catcher to earn a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award in the same season multiple times (also: 2016), joining: Iván Rodríguez (7), Joe Mauer (3), Lance Parrish (2), Benito Santiago (2) and Gary Carter (2)...Made 96 starts at catcher, his fewest since 2012 (74), but made a career-high 30 starts at designated hitter… started twice at first base (May 23 and July 23), his first starts there since Sept. 29, 2013...Became the seventh player since 1913 to play errorfree in at least 96 starts behind the plate, joining: James McCann (2015), Chris Snyder (2008), Chris Iannetta (2008), Mike Matheny (2003), Charles Johnson (1997) and Buddy Rosar (1946)...Threw out 24 runners attempting to steal in 51 chances (47.1%), tied for second most in the Majors behind Jonathan Lucroy (28), despite starting 23 fewer games at catcher...His stolen base percentage against (52.9%) was best in the Majors and best in Royals history, breaking Darrell Porter's single-season record of 56.1% in 1979…it was the best mark in the Majors since Joe Mauer (52.5%) and Yadier Molina (50.0%) in 2007...He had three catcher pickoffs-tied for third most in the Majors...Fell one HR shy of becoming the first in Major League history to increase his single-season HR total in seven consecutive seasons…he joined Jim Thome, David Ortiz and Darrin Fletcher as the only ones to do it in six straight...He's one of nine Royals to hit at least 25 HR in consecutive seasons…he's the first Major League catcher to do it since Iván Rodríguez (1999-2001) and Mike Piazza (1995-2002)...He's the ninth catcher all-time-six of which are in the Hall of Fame-with four 20-HR seasons (consecutive or not) before turning 29, joining: Johnny Bench (7), Brian McCann (6), Yogi Berra (5), Gary Carter (5), Mike Piazza (5), Lance Parrish (4), Iván Rodríguez (4) and Joe Torre (4)...Had nine homers and an American League-leading 28 RBI in his first 33 games (from April 24-May 27)...Hit his second career grand slam in the first inning at Baltimore on May 10, his 28th birthday, giving the Royals a 4-0 lead before an out was recorded…he's the 13th different Royal (16th time) to HR on his birthday and the second to hit a slam on his birthday, joining Mike Sweeney (2004)...Hit a go-ahead, two-run HR off Andrew Miller in the seventh inning on May 11 at Cleveland to complete a season-high five-run comeback (trailed 9-4, won 10-9)...Had three HR and eight RBI during a seven-game road trip to St. Louis and Texas from May 21-27, including a HR at three different positions: May 22 at St. Louis (catcher), May 23 at St. Louis (first baseman) and May 27 at Texas (designated hitter)...From July 11 through seasons' end, his 16 HR ranked tied for third in the American League-trailing only Khris Davis (27) and Joey Gallo (19)-despite hitting just one HR in his last 13 games...Named Royals Player of the Month for July, after leading the team in HR (7), RBI (21) and slugging percentage (.565)…homered in consecutive games from July 28-29, capping a four-game set at Yankee Stadium in which he hit .438 (7-for-16) with three HR and six RBI…it was his second Royals Player of the Month Award and first since September 2013...Recorded his fifth career multi-HR game on Aug. 15 vs. Toronto, his 20th and 21st HR of the season, becoming the fifth Royal with at least four straight 20- HR season, joining: John Mayberry (1972-75), Steve Balboni (1984-87), Bo Jackson (1987-90 and Mike Sweeney (1999-2002)...Matched a career high with five RBI on Sept. 14 vs. Minnesota, including the sixth walk-off grand slam in the Royals' 50-year history…it was his second career walk-off HR and first since Sept. 15, 2012 vs. the Angels...His 27th HR of the season on Sept. 22 in Detroit was also his 500th career RBI, making him one of 13 Royals to reach the 500-RBI milestone.
2017
Played in 129 games, including 115 behind the plate, his fewest since 2012 (76 games)…missed 16 days (Aug. 6-21) due to an intercostal strain, his first stint on the disabled list since 2013…also didn't start KC's final three contests due to injury ... Despite an injury-plagued second half, set career highs in homers (27), RBI (80) and slugging percentage (.495)… also matched career-bests in runs scored (57) and go-ahead RBI (17) ... Selected to the American League All-Star team for the fifth consecutive year, making his fourth-straight start…he's the second Royals player to start at least four-straight All-Star Games, joining George Brett who did it twice (1976-79 and 1981-85)…went 0-for-2 in the game in Miami ... Participated in the World Baseball Classic for the second time, playing in two games before suffering a knee injury and missing the rest of the tournament…went 2-for-7 with a double, a home run and two RBI ... Slugged 24 of his 27 home runs as a catcher, breaking his own franchise record of 21 (2015 and 2016)…his total ranked third in the Majors, behind only Gary Sanchez (27) and Mike Zunino (25)…over the past three seasons, his 66 home runs as a catcher are tops in baseball ... Also ranked third in the Majors with 74 RBI as a catcher, behind Yadier Molina (82) and Sanchez (80) ... Recorded a .598 slugging percentage on the road, ranking fourth in the American League…hit 21 of his 27 homers away from Kauffman Stadium, which was also fourth in the Junior Circuit ... Ranked eighth in the AL, slugging .599 during day games, which also tied for third in Royals history…had a .289/.318/.599 slash line in afternoon contests (41-for-142), compared to .258/.288/.450 at night (85-for-329) ... Batted .353/.385/.640 (49-for-139) with 11 doubles, one triple, nine homers and 26 RBI in the seventh inning or later…among AL hitters with at least 125 at-bats after the sixth, his slugging percentage led the league, while his batting average ranked second to Jose Altuve (.361) ... Hit .359/.390/.641 (14-for-39) with two doubles, three homers and seven RBI in 10 Interleague games ... Connected for 12 of his 27 homers against AL Central foes, including five each vs. Detroit and Minnesota and two vs. Chicago ... Best month was June, when he hit .345/.360/.631 (29- for-84) with nine doubles, five homers and 18 RBI…that included a season-best 10-game hitting streak from June 5-18, in which he hit .439 (18-for-41) ... Homered in four-straight games (April 6-9), becoming the first Royal to do that since Billy Butler in 2011…came up one shy of matching the franchise record of five-straight games with a home run (Mike Sweeney, 2002) ... Matched a franchise record with three home runs during the May 21 doubleheader at Target Field…Bill Pecota is the only other Royal to have a three-homer doubleheader, doing so July 14, 1989 at Yankee Stadium...hit a pair of roundtrippers in the nightcap of the twinbill, his first of two multi-homer games in 2017, also going deep twice on Sept. 6 at Comerica Park ... Hit his 100th career home run on June 10 at San Diego, becoming the fifth-youngest Royal to reach 100 dingers (27 years, 31 days), behind Carlos Beltran (26-107), Billy Butler (26-149), John Mayberry (26-178) and Eric Hosmer (26-323) ... Clubbed his first career grand slam on June 21 vs. Boston, turning a 4-2 deficit into a 6-4 lead in the eighth…according to Elias Sports Bureau, it was the second slam by a Royals player in the eighth inning or later that turned a deficit into a lead, with Frank White hitting the first on May 15, 1986 vs. the White Sox ... Matched a career high with two doubles in a game, twice - April 30 vs. Minnesota and Sept. 23 at Guaranteed Rate Field ... Recorded his third career stolen base on July 20 vs. Detroit, his first since April 8, 2015 against the White Sox ... Threw out 15 would-be basestealers in 69 attempts (21.7 percent), his lowest total since 2012 (15 in 40 attempts).
2016
Played in 139 games, making 128 starts behind the plate…also served as the designated hitter on seven occasions…his 139 games were his fewest since 2013, missing six games due to a quad contusion suffered May 28 after colliding with Cheslor Cuthbert chasing a foul popup...Selected to his fourth consecutive All-Star Game, earning the starting nod for the third straight year, becoming the first Royal to do that since George Brett (1981-85)…hit the go-ahead two-run homer in the second inning off former teammate Johnny Cueto...Received a Major League best 4,965,838 All-Star Game votes, becoming the first Royal to lead the Majors in All-Star voting since George Brett in 1981...Won his fourth-straight Rawlings Gold Glove Award, becoming the first Royal to win four or more in a row since Frank White (1977-82) won six-straight…his streak is the longest by an AL catcher since Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez won 10 in a row (1992-2001)...Named the AL's Silver Slugger Award honoree at catcher…became the first Royals backstop to earn the award...Set a career high with 22 home runs, including 21 as a catcher to match his franchise record from 2015… became the second Royals catcher (Darrell Porter) to hit 15 home runs or more in three different seasons (also, 2014)...Matched career highs in runs scored (57), doubles (28) and walks (22), all previously done in 2014...Hit .305 (67-for-220) with 14 doubles, two triples, 12 homers and 35 RBI over his first 60 games…batted just .204 (60-for-294) with 24 extra-base hits and 29 RBI in his final 79 games...Led American League catchers in hits for the fourthstraight season…also tops in doubles, homers, extrabase hits and slugging percentage (.436) among AL catchers...Threw out 30 would-be basestealers, second most in the Majors behind Jonathan Lucroy (40)…his 48.1 caught stealing percentage ranked first in the Majors in 2016 (min. 25 attempts) and set a new franchise record (min. 40 attempts)...Batted .291 (71-for-244) with 19 doubles, two triples, 11 homers and 37 RBI vs. AL Central foes…his .520 slugging percentage within the division ranked sixth in the Majors (min. 150 at-bats)...Established a career high with five RBI on April 19 vs. Detroit, collecting a two-run double and a three-run homer…became the first Royals catcher with five RBI in a game since John Buck did it on April 30, 2009 vs. Toronto...Went 5-for-5 with three runs scored on May 23 at Minnesota, finishing a homer shy of the cycle…became the second Royals catcher to have five hits in a game, joining Darrell Porter, who did it against the White Sox on June 4, 1978…it was the first five-hit game by a Royal since Billy Butler on Sept. 5, 2013...Had a season-best 12-game hitting streak from May 13-27, batting .417 (20-for-48) with three doubles, a triple, two homers and seven RBI…it matched the second-longest streak of his career, trailing only his 17-game run in 2012...Had his second career walk-off RBI in the regular season on July 7 vs. Seattle, a two-run double in the ninth inning off Steve Cishek...Recorded his second career multi-homer game on Aug. 27 at Boston with a pair of solo shots…became the first visiting catcher to hit two homers in a game at Fenway Park since Russell Martin did it on April 9, 2011.
2015
Salvador was selected to the All-Star Game for the third time in his career, starting behind the plate for the American League for the second-straight season…he became the first Royal to start consecutive years at the Midsummer Classic since George Brett did it in five-straight years (1981-85)...Earned his third-straight Rawlings Gold Glove, becoming the first A.L. catcher to win three straight since Joe Mauer (2008-10)...Set a franchise record with 21 home runs as a catcher, passing Mike Macfarlane, who hit 20 as a backstop in 1993… eight of his 21 home runs came in the seventh inning or later...Blasted a go-ahead solo shot off Texas reliever Keone Kela in the eighth inning of a 4-3 victory on June 7...Hit a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth inning at Detroit on September 18, sending the game into extra-innings...Led A.L. catchers in hits (137) and doubles (25) and ranked third in homers (21) and RBI (70)...Recorded 38 two-out RBI, which ranked ninth in the American League…hit .371 (26-for-70) with runners in scoring position and two outs, which was third in the A.L. among hitters with at least 50 at-bats in those situations...Hit .311 with a .489 slugging percentage with runners in scoring position...Batted .293 (22-for-75) with five doubles and two homers in 19 Interleague games...Hit .326 (28-for-86) with five doubles, three homers and 14 RBI during the month of April…batted .296 (32-for- 108) with six doubles, three homers and 15 RBI over his final 30 regular season games...Matched a career high with two doubles at Baltimore on September 13, marking the seventh time he's done that...Had three hits in a game six times and had four games with three RBI...Tied for third in the A.L., throwing out 24 would-be basestealers…since the start of the 2013 season, Salvy has gunned down 70 runners trying to steal, which ranks second in the Major Leagues, behind only Russell Martin (82)...Unanimously named World Series MVP, becoming the seventh catcher to win MVP honors in the Fall Classic and first since Toronto's Pat Borders in 1992...also the second Venezuelan-born player to earn the honor, joining Pablo Sandoval, who did it with San Francisco in 2012...Started all 16 postseason games behind the plate…hit four postseason homers, which tied for fifth among all participants...his 10 runs scored also tied for fifth...His four homers were tied for second most by a catcher in a single postseason, while he was the first backstop to hit as many as four home runs since Boston's Jason Varitek did it during the 2003 playoffs...Hit .364 (8-for-22) with two doubles and two RBI during the World Series…collected three hits in Game #4 of the series, his second three-hit contest in the Fall Classic...In 12 career World Series games, he's hit .348 (16-for-46) with three doubles, a homer and six RBI…hit safely in 10 of 12 contests during the Fall Classic.
2014
Salvador had another All-Star campaign with a strong first half of the season...started a Royals record 143 games behind the plate, while his 146 regular season games as a catcher overall were also tops in team history...Selected to his second All-Star Game, becoming the first Royals player to start in the Midsummer Classic since Jermaine Dye did in 2000...Sal grounded out in his only at-bat...Led A.L. catchers in hits (150) and multi-hit games (40), while he was second in extra-base hits (47) and tied for second in runs scored (57)...His 150 hits were the most by a Royals backstop since Darrell Porter's 155 base knocks during the 1979 season...His 17 homers tied for eighth-most by a KC catcher with Mike Macfarlane's 1992 total...Perez got off to a great start, hitting .283 with 18 doubles, 11 homers and 36 RBI before the All-Star break, but posted a .229 average with 11 doubles, two triples, six homers and 34 RBI after the break...Enjoyed his best month in June, where he batted .347 (35-for-101) with four doubles, five homers and 16 RBI...Had a season-best 12-game hitting streak, June 5-18, where he hit .370 (17-for-46)...Despite hitting just .229 in August, he tied for 10th in the American League with 20 RBI...Batted .320 (24-for-75) with four doubles, five homers and 14 RBI in Interleague contests...This included multi-hit contests in five of his first six against the Senior Circuit...Went 4-for-4 on Opening Day (March 31) in Detroit, becoming the first Royal to collect four hits on Opening Day since Fred Patek did it against Toronto in 1979...Blasted a game-winning three-run homer in the ninth inning at Tampa Bay off Kirby Yates, giving the Royals a 5-4 come-from-behind victory...Threw out 23 would-be base stealers, which ranked fifth in the American League...Over the past two seasons, he's nabbed 46 runners trying to steal, which are tops in the American League and rank third in the Majors, behind only Russell Martin (57) and Wellington Castillo (47)...Tied for the Major League lead with four pickoffs from behind the plate, while his total led the Junior Circuit...Salvy's 13 career pickoffs are the most by a Royals catcher and rank sixth among active catchers with Chris Iannetta...Caught every inning during the Royals' postseason run, starting all 15 games...Combining the regular season and playoffs, his 161 games caught were the most in Major League history...Hit .333 (8-for-24) with a double, a home run and four RBI during the World Series...Homered off World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner in Game 1, the only run the lefty allowed during the Fall Classic...Also had a two-run double in Game 2 of the Series...Collected the third walk-off hit in Royals postseason history with the game-winning RBI single in the 9-8 Wild Card win over the A's.
2013
Selected to the AL All-Star team for the first time…collected a single in the seventh inning to become the first Royal with a hit in the Midsummer Classic since Bo Jackson in 1989... Earned his first Rawlings Gold Glove Award, becoming the first Royals catcher to take home the honor...Led AL backstops, throwing out 23 would-be basestealers, while his 33.3 caught stealing percentage (23-for-69) tied for second in the league...Recorded first multi-homer game Aug. 28 at Minnesota, becoming the first Royals catcher to homer twice in a game since John Buck on April 14, 2009 vs. Cleveland...Missed nine games while on the Bereavement List (May 25) and seven games on the concussion IL (Aug. 3).
2012
Salvy came off the 60-day D.L. on June 22 with an 11-game hitting streak in which he hit .425 (17-for-40) with 3 doubles and 3 home runs...he had missed the entire 2012 season to that point after undergoing surgery in March to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee...Led all MLB catchers with 5 pickoffs in just 74 games, 2 more than anyone else...the 5 pickoffs were a franchise single-season record and his 8 career pickoffs also are a Royals career record...Posted a career-best and 2012 team-high 17-game hitting streak from August 22-September 13...hit .361 (26-for-72) during this streak which was the longest ever by a Royals catcher...also hit in 16 straight as a catcher (1 as DH), the longest streak by a MLB backstop in 2012...After returning from the D.L. on June 22, led all A.L. catchers (min. 70 games caught over that span) in average (.301), hits (87), runs (38), and doubles (16)...His 27 strikeouts were tied for the second-fewest in MLB among players with at least 250 at bats...fewest was Philly's Placido Polanco with 25...Opponents attempted just 40 stolen bases in his 74 games and he caught 15 of the 40 (37.5%), the best pct. among
all A.L. catchers (min. 70 games)...Hit his first pro walk-off homer on September 15 vs. Los Angeles...Following season, played for La Guaira in the Venezuelan Winter League...serving as the DH for a majority of his 32 games, he hit .371 with 10 doubles, 8 home runs and 39 RBI and was named Venezuelan Winter League Rookie of the Year...Signed a five-year contract through 2016 with three options seasons: 2017, 2018 and 2019, on February 27, 2012...Following regular season, was named Venezuelan Winter League Rookie of the Year after batting .371 (49-for-132) with 10 doubles, eight home runs, 39 RBI and 23 runs in 32 games for La Guaira.
2011
Began his successful climb to gain the Royals starting catcher spot with Double-A NW Arkansas before being promoted to Omaha (AAA) and then to the Majors for his first time in August. ... Had his contract selected on August 10 and made his debut that night at Tampa Bay ... recorded his first big league hit with a single and also picked off runners at both first and third base. ... Blasted his first career home run off the Tigers'Max Scherzer on August 29 at Detroit. ... After hitting just .182 (6-for-33) in his first 9 games as a big leaguer, batted .374 (43-for-115) in his final 30 games ... his .374 mark from August 21 on was the fourth-highest in baseball.
2010
Spent the entire season at Wilmington (A Advanced) as one of the youngest players in the Carolina League...opened the year at 19 before turning 20 on May 10...After batting .260 with a .298 on-base pct. and .387 slugging prior to the All-Star break, hit .318 with a .343
on-base pct. and .432 slugging following the break, including .402 with 4 home runs and 18 RBI in 24 games in August and September...Finished eighth in the Carolina League in batting average...Caught 37 of 88 attempted basestealers for a 42% clip...Capped the campaign by participating for Surprise in the Arizona Fall League.
