Case for Blue Jays Brandon Valenzuela to See More Time Behind Plate in 2027
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To say the Toronto Blue Jays were playing from behind the second that Opening Day came around in 2026 would be an understatement. Injuries completely dismantled their roster before the first pitch was ever thrown, and things only got worse as time went on.
Now, hindsight is 20-20, and while nobody is happy that catcher Alejandro Kirk went down in the beginning of April for more than two months, as a foul ball was hit off his hand. But there was a piece to that that made it an easier pill to swallow: rookie Brandon Valenzuela.
Again, the loss of Kirk did nothing but hurt the roster, but it is hard to imagine how far many games below .500 the Blue Jays would have finished the year had Valenzuela not been the answer to most people's prayers.
Valenzuela was acquired at the trade deadline in 2025 from the San Diego Padres in exchange for infielder Will Wagner. He was known as a defensive-minded man behind the dish with Gold Glove potential.
Well, in his rookie season and not being the day-to-day catcher, Valenzuela was just named a finalist in the American League for the Gold Glove alongside last year's victor Dillon Dingler as well as Austin Wells, who has posted three consecutive seasons with double-digit run value.
It is safe to say that Valenzuela has put himself in really good company defensively, and between him and Kirk, they will have the best catching duo in baseball. But playing every third day ultimately isn't going to do Valenzuela justice.
Why Getting Valenzuela More At-Bats Is Beneficial for the Blue Jays
First things first. There is nothing wrong with giving Kirk more time off and with Valenzuela's ability to control the run game, while also figuring out how to be an offensive threat with less time at the plate, the Jays will only benefit.
Nobody is expecting Valenzuela to step in and replace Kirk next time around, but there is reason to believe they can successfully (sometimes) start two catchers, and with Valenzuela showing that he can contribute with the bat, that is what they should do.
Valenzuela was never known for much of his performance at the plate, but when he took over as their No.1 catcher while Kirk was injured, he was brilliant as he hit over .250 in May and June while also posting an OPS over .800.
Yes, things took a negative turn when Kirk returned, but Valenzuela went from playing almost every day to once or twice a week; that was a hard adjustment for him. However, he got his OPS over .725 in September, highlighted by a 1.036 OPS in the last two weeks of the season.
Defensively, the team really has something with either of their choices, and it looks to be the exact same offensively. The Blue Jays have to find a way to keep both of them in the lineup consistently, as they will only be better for it in the end.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.