Lynn Worthy sings the praises of Sal Perez’s 2021 season.

Perez became the second primary catcher (at least 75% of his games at catcher) to lead the majors in both home runs (48) and RBIs (121), the other having been Hall of Famer Johnny Bench in 1970 and 1972.

Perez also tied the record for the most games played in a season by a primary catcher. He played 161 games and caught 124 (MLB-best 120 starts). He also threw out 44% of attempted base stealers this season, the highest percentage of any catcher with at least 375 innings caught.

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A catcher leading the league in home runs and RBI surely must be an MVP candidate, but FanGraphs ranks him 54th in the majors in fWAR among position players, and 27th in the American League.

There are flaws to Perez’s game. He had one of the great power seasons for a catcher, but with a .316 OBP, that power came at a higher cost in outs than most MLB sluggers. On top of that, Perez’s defense ranks poorly. His throwing out runners is great, but his other defensive skills seem to be weak.

When Johnny Bench and Mike Piazza were posting outstanding power years, they conserved outs for their teams. Perez certainly matched them in power in a tough park for home run hitters, but he didn’t match another important aspect of their games. In terms of power, this was a season for the ages for Perez. Overall, it was simply a very good year for the veteran catcher.