"Hi, I'm 21 years old, and I'm already a better catcher than Matt Treanor."

It’s mid-August, the Royals are as usual completely out of the race, and I am thrilled. Why?

No, not because Hosmer, Escobar, Giovatella, Gordon, Butler and crew are all having very solid seasons (still waiting on you Moose). And I’m not excited because today, Aug. 10, 2011, the Royals finally parted ways with the worst pitcher in MLB history in Kyle Davies.

I’m ecstatic about my Royals on this night because I witnessed who just may be the Royals’ catcher for the next 12 years: Salvador Perez.

Around the third inning, a Felipe Paulino fastball was caught low by Perez and immediately fired to second base to Escobar’s shoe tops, literally a millisecond after the Tampa Bay Ray made it back to the base. Although we didn’t get the out, it didn’t matter. Perez showed off his gun, and his aggressiveness to the few fans who are still following the Royals this time of the year.

Around the fifth inning, Paulino began to get wild, walking a few Tampa Bay batters. Perez kept shouting encouraging words to him to get his pitcher back into the strikezone. Perez was then able to throw behind the man on first to a covering Hosmer, nailing the Ray to help Paulino with an out. What did Perez do after the out? Immediately went back to helping his pitcher get through the inning by pointing and yelling at him – acts I can’t ever remember seeing from a rookie, and from a catcher especially!

Perez finished the night 1 for 3 with an RBI. Not a bad night for a rookie catcher from both sides of the plate.

However, the Royals blew a 7-3 lead in the 9th inning. Who cares. We got our catcher.