Neifi Pérez’ hidden genius revealed in new book

The 2010 Kansas City Royals are a long shot to win the World Series. But say this about the club: Neifi Pérez isn’t the everyday shortstop.

A trade brought Pérez to town in 2001. The Royals gave up Jermaine Dye, an All-Star outfielder who was starting to get expensive, in exchange for Pérez, a shortstop who struggled with important aspects of the game, such as hitting a baseball.

The name “Neifi” would become shorthand for the Royals at their most embarrassing. So fans may be surprised to learn that he merits his own chapter in the new book Top of the Order: 25 Writers Pick Their Favorite Baseball Players of All Time.

The writer who included Perez in a lineup that includes Lou Gehrig, Rickey Henderson and Pedro Martinez is King Kaufman, the author of a daily sports column for Salon from 2002 to 2009. Kaufman makes a case that Perez should be remembered not for the moments he rose to greatness (for there were few) but for infuriating so many fans for so long. As Kaufman sees it, rooting for a team that insists on giving guys like Pérez playing time is part of what it means to be a fan.