“I’m very happy,” Pérez said. “It’s an honor. I’m not taking it for granted. Everyday when I step out on the field I try play as hard as I can and play the game the right way. I take a lot of pride in my defense.”
The Indians traded Yan Gomes to the Nationals last December, which cleared the way for Pérez to become the everyday catcher. He exceeded expectations both defensively and offensively in his first year as a starter.
Pérez was first in Major League Baseball with 29 defensive runs saved, which was 17 more than the next catcher and the most by a catcher since 2013 (Yadier Molina).
He dealt with bone spurs in his right ankle for most of the season. He played through the pain, but admits it was challenging.
“I was telling myself don’t quit,” Pérez said. “You waited for so long to play every day and now that you have the opportunity you cannot go down like this.
“It hurt all year long, but I was doing anything I could to stay on the field.”
Pérez said it felt like a knife was poking at his ankle. He felt the pain in early April and it lasted all season long.
He was a big reason why young pitchers like Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale had success for the Tribe. He also got it done at the plate, finishing third on the team with 24 home runs.
Pérez posted a .997 fielding percentage, which is a new franchise record. He committed just three errors in 1,137 chances and didn’t allow a passed ball in 118 games (993 ⅔ innings) behind the plate.
Pérez had surgery on October 17 to remove the bone spurs in his ankle. He expects to be 100 percent healthy for the start of spring training.