Salvador Perez says Jose Altuve was the best player on their Venezuelan youth baseball team

Plenty of camaraderie exists between players who hail from the same country, but in the case of Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and Royals catcher Salvador Perez, their Venezuelan mutual admiration society began long before they were Major Leaguers.

The two played together as youngsters, when they were around 11 or 12 years old. Their travel team took them to other countries, where they represented Venezuela with as much pride as they do as adults and professional athletes today.

Perez, jokingly assuring his audience that he and Altuve are "enemies" this week, while the ALDS is going on, heaped praise on the Houston infielder for a baseball talent that was superior even way back when.

"He played," Perez said. "Leadoff, he threw hard, he stole bases, made some plays. Always. Whatever [he's] doing here [in the big leagues] -- 200 hits this year again -- nothing is a surprise to me. I know where he comes from and I know what he's about."

Altuve remembers his youth baseball days a little differently.

"I was on the bench," he deadpanned. "I played second when we were winning by 10 or losing by 10."

And his memories of Perez?

"All I remember is he played first base because our manager said he couldn't catch," Altuve said. Looks like things have changed: 

Asked if Altuve ever got picked on for his small stature, Perez shook his head with an emphatic no.

"He was better than everybody on the team," he said. "Nobody could say anything. "I'm 6-4, and he's like 5-1. And he's way better than me."