Perez named finalist for Silver Slugger Award

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is a finalist for the Louisville Silver Slugger Award once again.

Perez, a four-time winner of the award, is one of six finalists in the American League. He led the Royals in home runs with 23.

Despite missing 41 games due to a left thumb injury that required surgery in June, Perez had 76 RBI and ranked first among American League catchers in at-bats per RBI, second in at-bats per home run and third in RBI.

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Perez ranked fifth among all hitters in the American League with a .337 batting average with runners in scoring position, and he hit safely in 27 of the Royals’ last 33 games during the 2022 season.

In his final game of the season -- Oct 1 in Cleveland -- he went 4-for-4 with his final hit of the night a home run that was his 1,274th hit of his career, surpassing Billy Butler for sole possession of 8th place in Royals history.

The other candidates for the award include Toronto’s Alejandro Kirk, Houstin’s Martin Maldonado, Oakland’s Sean Murphy, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh and Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman. Silver Slugger Award winners will be announced on MLB Network during a show at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 10.

Perez won the award in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021. His four Silver Slugger Awards are the most in Royals history.