Even if you aren’t a baseball fan this is a great story. They call him Salvy, and he’s the heart and soul of our Kansas City Royals.
Salvador Perez, from Venezuela, was signed by Kansas City when he was just16 years old. He’s already caught over a thousand games and at age 31 still catching 5 or 6 games a week which is amazing. Most 6’3, 250-pound athletes don’t catch near that many games after 30, but Salvy does and is enjoying back-to-back “best” seasons.
He’s had a great career with 6 All-Star selections, 5 Gold Glove awards, a World Series ring and MVP award, 3 Silver Slugger awards, and Comeback Player of the Year in 2020!
Salvy says he plans to keep catching until he’s 50 or 60. Carlton Fisk caught a few games at age 45. The only catcher to do that since 1934!
Remember, Salvy is having a great year, and Sam Mellinger in his Kansas City Star column on Sunday may have exposed his secret.
According to scientists being in cold water at 60 degrees might cause you to not be able to breathe. Perez gets in a cold tub of water at 50 degrees 2 or 3 times every day for not the one-minute max that’s suggested for safety, but for 5 minutes. This is followed by a trip to a hot tub at 106 degrees for another 5 minutes! And, he does this religiously before and after every game or workout including the off-season.
Guess being a major league baseball player isn’t all fun and games? Salvy blew out his elbow before the 2019 season requiring surgery and rehab. But he came back and still “acts like every day is his birthday,” according to Mellinger.
He’s in the last year of a 4 year contract that was viewed as a gamble when signed. He wants to be a lifetime Royal so with free agency a possibility the off-season will be interesting for sure.
Baseball Hall of Fame career? Cooperstown is Salvy’s stated goal, but he still has work to do to qualify. Still catching at 40 would help.
If you aren’t impressed – try turning your shower on “cold” and stand in it for 5 minutes! Salvador Perez’s story is fun to follow because every day does seem like it’s his birthday!
I’m Steve Sauder
