Alejandro Kirk's promising 2024 showing locked him in to a starting gig next year

The Toronto Blue Jays' 2024 campaign was one of the team's more disappointing seasons in recent memory. After starting the year with high hopes of securing another playoff berth, the Blue Jays posted with the worst record in the AL East at 74-88. Still, a bad season doesn't necessarily mean a bad team, and there's plenty to like about the current Blue Jays roster — including catcher Alejandro Kirk.

On July 27, the Blue Jays traded catcher Danny Jansen to the division-rival Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor leaguers Cutter Coffey, Eddinson Paulino, and Gilberto Batista, seemingly confirming that they see Kirk as the future of the organization's catching. While the team could still re-sign Jansen this winter now that he's a free agent, Kirk's role as the Blue Jays' primary catcher is safe, and going into 2025, the 26-year-old has proven he deserves that everyday starting gig.

Kirk's offense dipped from his career-high, but he proved in 2024 that his bat is still hot

The 2024 season was Kirk's fifth in the majors, with the catcher having made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays on Sept. 12, 2020. Once in the big leagues, Kirk was quick to make an impression — he recorded a hit on the night of his debut, and just nine days later, he posted four hits and his first big-league home run to become the first catcher aged 21 or younger with four hits in a game since the Minnesota Twins' Joe Mauer in 2004.

Kirk really broke onto the scene in 2021, hitting 8 home runs in 165 at-bats for a 106 wRC+ despite spending over two months on the Injured List due to a strained left hip flexor. The following season, he posted an impressive .285/.372/.415 line with 14 home runs and 63 RBI in 470 at-bats, earning his first career All-Star nod and taking home a Silver Slugger Award for his work.

Unfortunately, Kirk's offense hasn't been as strong in the two seasons since his 2022 All-Star year. In 2023, his .250/.334/.358 line with 8 home runs was respectable — but not stellar — and his stats this year were similar. Kirk posted a .253/.319/.359 line with 5 home runs and 54 RBI in 340 at-bats in 2024.

To be clear, Kirk's batting stats are only questionable when compared to himself — he's still a very strong hitter. He posted a career-worst 9.1% walk rate in 2024, but that still put him in the 62nd percentile of all qualified hitters. Similarly, Kirk's 13.2% strikeout rate was the worst of his four full seasons in MLB, but he was still in the 95% percentile.

It should also be noted that his overall batting stats in 2024 would've been better if it hadn't been for a slow start. From the time Jansen was traded away (July 27) until the end of the season, Kirk slashed .288/.349/.418, hit 3 of his 5 home runs, and even had an impressive 18-game hitting streak.

In 2024 — especially the second half — Kirk proved that although his stats aren't as strong as he posted in 2022, he's a reliable presence on the Blue Jays' lineup, ranking fourth on the team in RBI (54) despite appearing in only 103 games, as well as sixth in hits (86), and fourth in doubles (19).

Kirk continued to shine on defense

Since his debut in 2020, defense has been Kirk's calling card, and the 2024 season was no different. The catcher ranked in the 93rd percentile for framing, and in the 95th percentile in Caught Stealing Above Average. In addition to posting an impressive 14 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), Kirk's Fielding Run Value (FRV) in 2024 was an incredible 15, ranking him second among all MLB catchers, only behind the San Francisco Giants' Patrick Bailey.

Despite establishing himself as one of the best defensive catchers in MLB, Kirk is yet to win an AL Gold Glove Award. He was nominated in 2023 after posting the highest DRS of any catcher in MLB (17) and the third-highest FRV for catchers in the AL (8), but the Texas Rangers' Jonah Heim ended up taking home the Award.

Perhaps 2025 will be Kirk's year to add a Gold Glove to his trophy cabinet. The Blue Jays clearly believe in his future with the organization, and with two more seasons before he's eligible for free agency, the team has plenty of time to utilize his talent before a major contract extension becomes a serious conversation.