Blue Jays All-Star Catcher Immensely Impressive in Recent Performances
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The Toronto Blue Jays have had an absolutely outstanding stretch of play over the past month or so, and with that, they have catapulted themselves into a position to compete among the American League's best. With a 36-30 record currently, they reside in second place behind the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East, though their record is actually tied with the latter, only four games back from the former.
This has been heavily due in part to a wide variety of players stepping up all at once, and injuries clearing up for the most part in recent weeks. Unfortunately, Daulton Varsho will miss some more time, but overall, the team is getting healthy at the right time to make a strong summer push. One of the more crucial pieces of their improved plate success has been their catching duo, Alejandro Kirk and Tyler Heineman, both of whom have shown impressive flashes all season long.
Kirk has really begun to take that next step, though in his most recent appearances, and in his last five games specifically, is looking more like the former All-Star he is from back in his 2022 campaign.
How Well Has Kirk Performed in the Most Recent Matchups?
Across the last five games, Alejandro Kirk has been showing his plate discipline once again, but also what happens when he gets behind a pitch. In that span, he has 10 hits in 21 at-bats, good for a .476 batting average, with three doubles, a home run, six RBI, two runs and two strikeouts. Hitting out of the cleanup spot, he has been able to take full advantage of being behind Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and a rapidly improving Addison Barger.
He has rapidly improved his stats overall, going from slashing .283/.323/.372 through May 24 to slashing .316/.361/.421 through June 9. This level of improvement is usually seen with him as he continues to figure things out at the plate each season, as he goes on a hot streak and propels the team to more wins. The hope is now that he can capture that improved form and continue to build off it as he did in 2022, rather than hitting the metaphorical wall he has the past two seasons.
As was noted in a post by the official Blue Jays account, he is also leading the MLB in average, slugging percentage, and OPS when there are two strikes in a count. This has been his calling card both recently and over the course of his career, and typically catches pitchers off guard due to how often he is able to make solid contact on put-away pitches.
His defense has also been impressive, per-usual, as according to Baseball Savant, he has nine blocks above average (98th percentile), three runners caught stealing above average (91st percentile), and six framed pitches (100th percentile). If he can manage to retain that defensive form while also working on his plate discipline, he could become a truly versatile weapon long-term for the team in the coming years.
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Jeremy Trottier started his writing journey with WBLZ Media, and has worked through multiple publications with 247Sports, USA Today, Fansided, SBNation and others. He is an avid fan of motorsports and most sports in general, and has completed a degree in sports management to further understand the sports industry. During his time with sports media, he has been credentialed for coverage of Boston College sports, and can often be found attending their football and basketball games as well as expected coverage of their men’s soccer team in the near future. Sports are a large part of his life and career, as he looks to pursue a full time role within the industry someday.