This Blue Jay should be a lock to make this year’s All-Star game

While he didn’t have the greatest start to the season, Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk has been on a tear over the last 30+ games. Dating back to April 25, Kirk is hitting .360/.409/.447 with an OPS of .857. He has 41 hits, 11 walks and 10 strikeouts in 114 at bats. Kirk has also been getting it done in clutch situations, sporting a .354 BAbip with runners in scoring position, with 18 hits in 54 at-bats, driving in 25 runs.

This Blue Jay should be a lock to make this year’s All-Star game

April 25 looks like the turning point in Kirk’s season. That was the game the Blue Jays won over the Yankees in New York where Kirk smashed a two-run double in the top of the ninth to give the Blue Jays a lead in a game they were trailing the entire night. It led to a 4-2 win, for Toronto and it got Kirk rolling on his season. He was previously hitting .211 on the season and had just three hits in his last 25 at-bats.

Kirk seems to be the one guy opposing pitchers don't want to see at the plate with the game on the line. In just the last week, Kirk delivered a walk off single against the Phillies and former Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano on Wednesday, June 4. He also smashed a go-ahead RBI double in the top of the 10th just this past Monday, in the Blue Jays 5-4 win over the Cardinals. That was the cherry on top of a four-hit night for Kirk who drove in two runs with two doubles and a home run.

Kirk leads all American League catchers with a .316 average on the season, and his Baseball Savant batting values are red hot. His hard hit rate of 56.3 and his K% of 10.3 both rank in the 97th percentile.
As usual, Kirk is also getting it done with glove work in 2025. His defensive fWAR is 11.6 also tops the league, with Baseball Savant putting his fielding run value in the 100th percentile. All of his catching metrics are in the 90th percentile or better, including his framing which is also in the 100th percentile. His only metric that is league average is his pop-time which ranks in the 56th percentile.

All of this comes with the caveat that in the AL this year, a catcher on the west coast is putting up amazing power numbers. Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners is not only leading all catchers with 26 home runs, but that number currently leads the Major Leagues. Raleigh is having an outstanding season, slashing .272/.380/.655 with a 1.035 OPS that ranks second in MLB. Raleigh has to be considered one of the best hitter in the league right now finding himself in some elite company with his numbers lining up alongside Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Pete Alonso to name a few.

There is no doubt that Raleigh should get the nod as the starting catcher in this years All-Star game at Truist Park in Atlanta, but Kirk has made a strong case for himself among the AL’s catchers. Kirk was an All-Star in 2022, a year in which he finished with a .282/.372/.415 slash line with 14 home runs in 139 games played.

He wasn’t able to put up those numbers in the two following seasons but coming off a spring in which he signed a contract extension, Kirk has positioned himself well to earn an All-Star spot.