It was tough to give this year’s World Series MVP to just one player. The Royals were a team in a way that is rarely seen. Every single player on the World Series roster made an on-field contribution.
There was not any one player channeling a 2013 David Ortiz or a 2014 Madison Bumgarner. There was just the Royals, a 25+ squad of guys buying into to the system, going out, and giving it everything.
But alas the vote must come down to a verdict, so what better choice that embodies the concept of team baseball than the All-Star backstop who put up .364/.391/.455 in the Fall Classic.
As well as he did with the bat, this pick really comes from his overall performance as a catcher. Out there for 199 of the 203 Mets plate appearances, Salvador Perez guided his staff to a 2.94 combined ERA for the series. That in combination with his series leading 8 hits (including the single that started the series clinching rally in the 12th inning of game 5) helped secure him the coveted award.
It wasn’t about going above and beyond. It was about doing your job at the highest level when called upon to do so, and like the many other Royals beside him, that is exactly what Salvador Perez did.
Perez is the first catcher to take home the World Series MVP since 1992’s Pat Borders with Blue Jays.
