There are lots of stars on Team Venezuela -- and they all look up to Salvy

MIAMI – Watching Team Venezuela take batting practice, it’s hard not to notice the star power on the roster.

Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio, Ranger Suarez and the Contreras brothers (Willson and William) are among those who have all accomplished great things during their Major League careers. But there’s one player on the team who stands out in a crowd, revered not only by his teammates, but his entire country.

Having been named captain of the Royals in 2023, Salvador Perez is one of only two players in the Majors to hold that distinction for their team – the Yankees’ Aaron Judge is the other. But while Perez prefers not to have the spotlight on himself – “We are all captains,” he said Thursday – it’s clear that his teammates are looking to him as a leader as they prepare for their World Baseball Classic opener Friday afternoon at 12 p.m. ET against the Netherlands at loanDepot park.

“He's very important to us as players and to the country,” Acuña said. “He's a leader. He walks the talk, and he's always for us every time. We need him.”

Perez is participating in his fourth WBC, but this is the first time he will serve in the captain’s role, hoping to help Venezuela advance beyond the second round for the second time, the first coming in 2009 when they lost to Korea in the semifinals.

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The Dominican Republic is the favorite to win Pool D in Miami, but Venezuela won’t play them until the final game of the round. And although that matchup will draw plenty of attention, Perez knows that the other teams in the pool – Netherlands, Israel and Nicaragua – will present enough of a challenge in the coming days.

“Not only the Dominican Republic, any team in the Classic can be a surprise,” Perez said. “We have to play strong. We have to do our best every day, no matter the team we are going to face.”

Suarez, who will take the ball for Venezuela in the opener against the Netherlands, sat next to Perez in a press conference on Thursday. He may as well have been a spectator, as one question after another was directed at Perez, who looked at Suarez at one point to ask if he was still here.

When a question was finally asked of Suarez, it was about – what else? – Perez.

“Come on, how do you feel having me as a captain?” Perez said jokingly to Suarez.  

Even with Perez sitting next to him, Suarez’s answer echoed the sentiments of pretty much anybody who has ever played with the nine-time All-Star.

“Having Salvador Perez as the captain of our team, the national team, how he represents Venezuela, we are very proud to have Salvy catching for us in this tournament,” Suarez said. “I'm very excited for him and everything he has done. We are very happy. We are very proud of him, for his career.”

Even with his 36th birthday approaching in May and his contract set to expire at the end of the 2027 season, Perez is hopeful that there are still more years remaining in that career, one which may eventually land him in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

“Sacrifice, dedication, effort; you have to be willing to get better and better,” Perez said. “Some people say, ‘Well, Salvador has a couple of years left.’ Baseball is very different. I try to improve on a daily basis until I take off my uniform.”

Unlike some of his younger teammates, Perez knows what pressure-packed, high-intensity games feel like. His Royals played in the World Series in both 2014 and 2015, losing to the Giants in Game 7 in the first and beating the Mets in five games the next season.

Perez believes the WBC is equally intense, even in the opening round.

“When you play representing your country, it's different,” Perez said. “It's a unique feeling. It's like a seventh game in a World Series; something that players have to be there and to get excited when they hear the fans or the people from Venezuela supporting you, when you hear the national anthem.”

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The Dominican Republic, United States and Japan are widely considered to be the three favorites entering the tournament, but Perez believes his team has the ability to win it all. Why go through the motions otherwise?

“The mindset is the same, to win, to do our best, to try to get the crown,” Perez said. “Otherwise you'd better go back to your team and win playing with your team. It's like the start of the season; the goal is to win the World Series. If you don't believe in that, it's going to be tough for you to make it.”