Over the next several weeks RealGMBaseball will be holding our 2014 Major League Baseball ‘Be The GM’ Contest to determine which player would be the best selection to build a franchise around.

The contest, which is being brought to you by the Original Retro Brand, is described and previewed here: RealGM’s 2014 ‘Be The GM’ Contest. You’ll want to check out the link for rules on how to enter to win a $50 Retro Brand gift card and to see the full contest schedule. 

Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels are featured in Monday’s matchup. Voting will extend through June 30.

Perez enjoyed a breakout 2013 season, hitting .292/.323/.433 with 13 home runs and 79 RBIs in 526 plate appearances. He was a member of the American League All-Star team and earned enough votes to finish 22nd in the MVP race. On top of all that, the catcher took home a Gold Glove.

He has been extremely valuable at the plate and behind it. Only three AL players had more dWAR (2.2) than Perez last season. Two seasons ago, he led the league when he caught 41.9% of base stealers. He caught a league-high 25 runners in 2013.

Mike Trout is the favorite to be the last man standing in our 'Be The GM' contest.  Drafted five years ago by the Angels in the first round, he is already building a Hall of Fame resume. He has hit .312/.402/.550 in 400 games and ranked first in the American League in WAR in each of the last two seasons.

It's easy to forget that Trout, 22, is still among the youngest players in the game. The 2012 AL Rookie of the Year, he has finished second to Miguel Cabrera in the MVP voting two years running. If you rank all active players in WAR, Trout is 81st despite completing just two full seasons. He's already ahead of Jacoby Ellsbury, who has played in the Major Leagues twice as long.

Vote In This Matchup: Perez or Trout?

Previous Matchups:

June 13: Sale or Cabrera?

June 11: Machado or Tanaka?

Next Matchup: June 18 – Felix Hernandez vs. Yu Darvish

Don’t forget to Tweet your pick along with #BeTheGM to be entered to win a $50 Retro Brand gift card.