Two Toronto Blue Jays Stars Listed Among Best Defenders in Baseball

The Toronto Blue Jays have had a surprising stretch as of late and their stellar defense has been a large part of that.

Through 68 games, they had a team defensive runs saved of 28, which is the sixth-best mark in MLB. They have the top fielding run value and fifth-best outs above average.

There isn't much more to ask for on that side of things. If they can figure out a way to add to the offense while not hurting the defense, they could have a real shot for a run to the postseason.

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While a number of their players have had great years defensively, two Blue Jays stars were recently listed among the best defenders in the league by Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer.

Outfielder Daulton Varsho and catcher Alejandro Kirk were both listed among the "honorable mentions" section. Kirk was the only catcher named in the entire list, though, so that's a big win.

Varsho would almost assuredly been higher up in the ranking, but he has only played in 24 games this year. In the short time that he has been on the field, though, he still looks fantastic with a glove on his hand.

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The 28-year-old won an AL Gold Glove Award last year and has still been good, even coming back from an injury. His arm hasn't been as elite, but he can still cover plenty of ground.

FanGraphs has him at four OAA and three FRV through 188 innings in the field. He was at 16 in both categories last year, so he would have been on-pace for around the same if he played a full campaign.

He has taken a step up at the plate with a massive surge of power. It's not out of nowhere, but was a bit shocking to see in a small sample size.

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Before his last injury, he had been slashing .207/.420/.543 with eight home runs in 24 games. Again, that would be on pace for 54 if he kept that up for a full year.

Kirk has yet to take home a Gold Glove, but this could be the year. He has 10 FRV, which is the highest mark in MLB. His five DRS is No. 7 in the league.

His biggest competition in the AL would likely be Carlos Narvaez, but Kirk should be in the lead right now.

The 26-year-old has also been elite at the plate with a .328/.369/.441 slash line and five home runs through 56 games.

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