Kansas City Royals star Sal Perez sought advice from former hitting coach Terry Bradshaw
While the Kansas City Royals front office decided a new voice and processes were necessary to kick-start their offense, star slugger Salvador Perez found comfort in familiar voices that contributed to his past success.
Perez, who has slashed .199/.240/.404 through 42 games this season, turned in a second consecutive game with a home run, a double and three RBIs on Sunday albeit in a series-ending loss to the Houston Astros at Kauffman Stadium.
Both Saturday and Sunday, Perez’s sixth-inning homers ignited the Royals offense. In each instance, they’d been scoreless until Perez deposited a baseball into the stands. Saturday’s homer snapped an 0-for-21 skid.
Afterwards, Perez acknowledged that he recently solicited input from the club’s fired hitting coach Terry Bradshaw in an effort to find success at the plate. The Royals relieved Bradshaw of his duties as the major-league hitting coach on May 16.
“I’m kind of super-aggressive sometimes,” Perez said. “I was working with (coach John) Mabry. By the way, I called Bradshaw two days ago. Talked to Terry. He’s known me for a long time. So I tried to get information, good information that these guys tell me and then try to do it in the game — believe in myself and trust my hands. I think that’s kind of made the difference a little bit.”
Last season, Perez credited Bradshaw for his preparation for specific pitchers and forecasting how they’d likely attack him in at-bats.
While Bradshaw served as the Royals major-league hitting coach since November 2017, his familiarity with Perez predates that promotion.
Bradshaw joined the organization as a coach in 2000, and he held the position of hitting coach at Double-A Northwest Arkansas when Perez arrived at that level in 2011.
In the majors, Perez solidified himself as one of the best two-way catchers during Bradshaw’s tenure. While four of Perez’s five Gold Gloves came prior to 2018, three of his four Silver Slugger Awards came under Bradshaw in 2018, 2020 and 2021.
Last year in his first full-length season after he missed 2019 because of Tommy John surgery, Perez enjoyed a historic level of productivity.
In recent years, Perez has also credited Mike Tosar, who he typically trains with during the offseason in Miami, for helping him develop a routine to help keep his swing consistent at the plate.
Tosar, the Royals special assignment hitting instructor, joined the major-league staff on a temporary basis after Bradshaw’s dismissal.
Perez’s recent historic production
In 2021, Perez led the majors in RBIs (121) and tied for the lead in home runs (48) and became the sixth player in the last 30 years to lead the majors in both home runs and RBIs, joining Giancarlo Stanton (2017), Chris Davis (2013), Miguel Cabrera (2012), Ryan Howard (2006, 2008), and Alex Rodríguez (2002, 2007).
Perez tied the Royals single-season home run record set two years earlier, also during Bradshaw’s tenure, by Jorge Soler.
Perez’s 48 homers were the most in a season for a primary catcher (at least 75% of games played at catcher) in major-league history. Perez surpassed the previous record of 45 set by the Hall of Famer Johnny Bench in 1970.
By leading the majors in both home runs and RBIs, Perez became just the second primary catcher to lead in both, the other having been Bench in 1970 and 1972.
Perez batted .273, and his .859 OPS was a career high for a full-length season, as was his .544 slugging percentage (10th-best in MLB). He registered an OPS+ of 126, a career-high 28 walks and a career-high 337 total bases (third-most in the majors).
Perez also put an exclamation point on those exploits by delivering in clutch moments. He tied for third in the majors with 29 go-ahead RBIs, and his 15 game-winning RBI were the most by a Royal since Eric Hosmer (16) in 2016.
Of his MLB-leading 121 RBIs and his 48 home runs, Perez recorded 80 RBIs and 33 homers when the score was within two runs one way or the other.
“He amazes us, just how he continues to figure things out and puts his head down and keeps going,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said on Sunday. “Only so many people can hit the ball out of the ballpark like he does, and it’s in the big situations too. He’s got that knack, and he thrives in those situations. He wants to be the guy to get this team into every game.”
This season while not having the same sort of historically awe-inspiring results, Perez has certainly carried the weight as the offensive centerpiece of the Royals.
He has placed responsibility for the club’s offensive struggles on his own shoulders, despite serving as the starting catcher working with the pitching staff and taking a beating behind the plate.
“It’s impressive, what he’s doing,” Royals center fielder Michael A. Taylor said. “I don’t know how much is out there about his body, but he plays a tough position. He plays every day. He goes out there and plays hard every day, and I know there’s no way he feels 100 percent everyday physically. He still goes out there and is able to produce and have great at-bats and come through in big spot like that.”
Perez recently returned from the injured list following a stint for a sprained left thumb. Earlier this season, he came out of a game due to a knee ailment and he’s also sustained a hand injury during an early-season road trip when he was hit by a pitch. He did not miss significant time with either of those injuries.
