Salvy 'still learning,' embracing change at camp

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- After Salvador Perez finished catching Jordan Lyles’ first official bullpen of the spring on Wednesday morning, the seven-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove catcher spent the next 30 minutes listening.

Perez and new Royals bench coach Paul Hoover, who will also oversee catchers, moved over to the side of the bullpen mound at the Royals’ Spring Training facility in Surprise for one-on-one catching instruction.

Hoover did most of the talking, demonstrating things he’s pinpointed for Perez to improve his receiving skills. Perez was all ears.

“I know I have a lot of Gold Gloves,” Perez said, “but I’m still learning.”

About to embark on his 13th season in the big leagues, Perez is once again the veteran leader and core piece of this upcoming Royals season that is centered around a youth movement.

But he’s never had a spring as different as 2023, starting with the coach he worked with on Wednesday.

For the first time since 2013, longtime coach and catching instructor Pedro Grifol won’t be on the Royals' coaching staff after being hired as the White Sox manager this offseason. Perez considers Grifol a father figure; Grifol’s daughters are “like little sisters” to Perez.

There are no hard feelings for Perez that Grifol, who interviewed for the Royals’ managerial opening, isn’t in Kansas City anymore -- which is a conversation Perez had with general manager J.J. Picollo this offseason, too.

“Everybody knows my relationship with Pedro,” Perez said. “I love him like my dad. We still have the same relationship. It’s a business, I understand. In Kansas City, he taught me how to play hard, how to compete, and that’s what we’re going to do when the season starts.”

Then, Perez flashed his signature smile.

“Especially against Pedro, we’re going to be way more concentrated,” he continued. “We want to beat him. Same things he taught me, now we’re going to do it to him.”

Perez is embracing the new coaching staff, including manager Matt Quatraro and Hoover, who was known for his work with Rays catchers and pitch framing. That makes Hoover a major pickup for the Royals this year, given that Perez and MJ Melendez both ranked in the bottom five in catcher framing metrics, per FanGraphs, last year.

“He’s got a lot of good things for me that I think are going to help my receiving,” Perez said. “… Just some little things. Try to move forward a little bit. I was a little bit too far back in the box behind home plate, so just little things like that.

“I think [it helps with] the late movement, when guys throw sinkers. Curveball, slider. It’s going to help me. It’s going to help the pitchers, too, to get some more strikes.”

Perez will be the Royals’ everyday catcher in 2023, but he is open to more days as designated hitter to stay fresh. In 2021, when Perez hit an MLB-best 48 home runs, he played a career-high 40 games at DH and matched that number last year when he missed about six weeks with a thumb injury.

Workload was the first thing Perez brought up to Quatraro when the two met this winter, and Perez will be part of any decision the Royals make throughout the season about his time behind the plate.

“We’re going to be better with him playing more,” Quatraro said. “It’s just a matter of, how do we tweak that so he stays physically as sharp as he can.”

Perez’s offseason was designed around staying healthy in 2023 and making sure he’s ready to compete for Team Venezuela next month in his third World Baseball Classic.

“I’m super excited,” Perez said. “It’s different when you have the opportunity to represent your country. I feel great. I can’t wait to be with all the players and have fun. You guys know me, I’m going to play hard and try to do my best.”

Perez wants Venezuela to win in March -- and he wants the Royals to win in 2023. It’s been too long since Perez, now 32 years old, was named World Series MVP and hoisted the trophy in 2015.

On Wednesday, he dismissed the idea of personal goals this season if it meant the Royals play in October.

“I just want to be in the playoffs every year,” Perez said. “I think we’re getting close. We got some really good players here.”

One thing that’s not different this spring: As Perez listens and learns from new faces, there are players always listening and learning from him.

“That’s why he’s the best at what he does,” one pitcher said Wednesday as he walked off the bullpen mound, pointing at Perez and Hoover still working.