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MLB Network Includes Toronto Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk on List of Top 10 Catchers

Thanks in large part to his defensive prowess, Toronto Blue Jays backstop Alejandro Kirk was recognized as the No. 8 catcher in MLB on Thursday night.
Sam Connon|
Jul 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (30) hits a RBI single during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.
Jul 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (30) hits a RBI single during the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

For the third year in a row, Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk has once again cemented himself as one of the best backstops in the sport.

MLB Network continued its annual "Top 10 Players Right Now" series on Thursday, moving on to catchers. Past performance, advanced metrics, traditional stats and input from the MLB Network research team were all taken into account, and it was Milwaukee Brewers backstop William Contreras who ultimately came out on top.

Kirk, on the other hand, made it onto the list at No. 8. He was ranked No. 7 entering 2024 and No. 6 heading into 2023.

Across 103 games in 2024, Kirk hit .253 with five home runs, 54 RBI, a .677 OPS, 13 defensive runs saved and a 2.0 WAR.

Kirk was named an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger back in 2022, and he has yet to approach the .786 OPS and 4.0 WAR he posted that season. However, his 39 defensive runs saved over the last three seasons lead all MLB catchers.

The 26-year-old avoided arbitration with the Blue Jays earlier Thursday, settling on a $4.6 million salary for 2025. He will be arbitration-eligible again next winter before hitting free agency in 2027 – barring a contract extension that keeps him in Toronto for the foreseeable future.

Here is the full list of top 10 catchers that MLB Network compiled for 2025:

1. William Contreras, MIL
2. Adley Rutschman, BAL
3. Will Smith, LAD
4. Cal Raleigh, SEA
5. JT Realmuto, PHI
6. Yainer Diaz, HOU
7. Gabriel Moreno, ARI
8. Alejandro Kirk, TOR
9. Sean Murphy, ATL
10. Austin Wells, NYY

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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