The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced the signing of catcher Roberto Pérez to a one-year contract for the 2022 season. The announcement was made by General Manager Ben Cherington.
A two-time American League Gold Glove Award winner in 2019 and 2020, Pérez had his career-best 127-game errorless streak end this past season. Over the last three seasons, only two other catchers in the A.L. have thrown out more runners attempting to steal than Pérez (29). He was named the Major League Defensive Player-of-the-Year by Wilson in 2019; his 30 Defensive Runs Saved that season were tied for the highest total by a catcher since Baseball Info Solutions began tracking the metric in 2003.
“In Roberto, we are adding an elite defender who is able to effectively handle our pitching staff and further aid in its development,” said Cherington. “He is known to be a great teammate and fierce competitor, and we look forward to having him in a Pirates uniform.”
A native of Puerto Rico, the 32-year-old Pérez was selected by Cleveland in the 33rd round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft and made his Major League debut with the Guardians in 2014. He played in a career-high 119 games in 2019 and also set career highs in home runs (24) and RBI (63) that season.
