KANSAS CITY, Mo. \u2014 The Kansas City Royals confirmed on Monday that its very own captain and catcher, Salvador Perez, has won the Martin Luther King, Jr. Diversity Advocate Award in Sports for his service and his attitude both on and off the field.<\/p>\n
The NAACP branch of Olathe, Overland Park and Leawood, Kansas, stated that Perez, alongside the previous award winners \u2014 Royals chairman and CEO John Sherman, and Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid \u2014 were recognized for their alignment with MLK\u2019s principles.<\/p>\n
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Welcome to the City: More Kansas City Royals news on FOX4 <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMartin Luther King, Jr.\u2019s courage helped change the world and create opportunities for so many of us in sports and other pursuits,\u201d Perez said in a statement. \u201cReceiving an honor with his name on it, wow, this is humbling and something I never could have imagined. His legacy is amazing and will last forever.\u201d<\/p>\n Since starting his Major League Baseball (MLB) career 14 years ago, Perez has played all of his games with the Royals.<\/p>\n With the team, he has had nine All-Star appearances, five\u00a0Rawlings\u00a0Gold Glove Awards, five\u00a0Louisville Slugger\u00a0Silver Slugger Awards and a World Series MVP in 2015.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n He was named the winner of the\u00a0Roberto Clemente\u00a0Award in 2024, which is given to an MLB player who \u201cbest represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions,\u201d the Royals said.<\/p>\n