Vet brings eagerness of a rookie to 15th camp

This story was excerpted from Anne Rogers’ Royals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- It’s Salvador Perez’s 15th big league Spring Training, and the 33-year-old hasn’t lost the pep in his step yet.

No matter what, he’s still “super excited” about the new year, new season and new goals for the team that he’s been with his entire career.

“It’s still every game that I get excited,” Perez said. “I still get excited when I walk through the tunnel to get to the field. I still love the game like when I got called up on the first day. Super excited to be back, got a lot of good new pitchers as you guys know. I couldn’t wait to get back again.”

This year, Perez came to Spring Training eager to learn all about his new teammates and the several new pitchers he’ll be catching in Kansas City, including starters Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha and relievers Will Smith, Chris Stratton, Nick Anderson and John Schreiber.

Perez, the Royals’ steady backstop and fourth captain in club history, was kept in the loop all winter when it came to Kansas City’s moves and signings. General manager J.J. Picollo called him frequently about the players he was bringing in, and manager Matt Quatraro kept in touch with phone calls and texts.

Was Perez surprised to see the Royals’ spending spree?

“Yeah, kind of,” Perez said. “And we thank [owner] Mr. [John] Sherman, because if he doesn’t say, 'Yes,' we don’t do anything. So yeah, I was surprised, but I was more happy. Especially to get really good pitchers.”

Even with how eager Perez is to get going every Spring Training, there is undeniably a little more enthusiasm from him this year after the Royals’ push to improve the roster over the winter. He feels the energy and the buzz the newly signed players are bringing to Kansas City, as well as what Bobby Witt Jr.’s mega-extension did to lift the organization. Perez couldn’t be more happy about it.

All the former World Series MVP wants to do is stay healthy on the field and win again.

“We’ve got personal goals, everybody wants to win a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger. Everybody wants to go to the All-Star Game,” Perez said. “Well, I know [how] that all tastes. So I just want to go back again and taste how it feels to be in the playoffs. So that is my goal this year. I don’t care about Gold Gloves, Silver Slugger, All-Star Game. I know how it feels to do that. I just want to make it to the playoffs.”

Adding more motivation is how the Royals played last year, going 56-106 and finishing at the bottom of their division. The losing has been hard for Perez to stomach over the past few years. He’s understood where the Royals were at in their rebuild and how much the young players need to learn to compete at the Major League level.

“It was a tough situation, tough season for us,” Perez said. “But we learned. The young guys -- [Michael] Massey was learning. Vinnie Pasquantino, who was out [with a right shoulder injury], but he was involved in everything. We got Maikel Garcia, he knows how to play in the big leagues [now]. Junior, he’s special. I think he learned from the first day he was born -- he’s a different guy.

“But all the young pitchers, they know how to pitch in the big leagues now. Because it’s not the same. You’re in the big leagues now, you can’t leave everything in the middle because it’s going to get hit. You need to attack [the batter], you cannot walk people. I think last year was our experience year. I know nobody liked it. But it’s over. I don’t care about last year. I just concentrate on 2024 and go for everything.”

And this year, Perez wants nothing more to lead that young team, along with all the new additions, to the playoffs again.

“We’ve got the team,” Perez said. “And we’re going to go for it.”