Blue Jays Catcher Deemed Team MVP After Fantastic First Half
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With the season crossing the midway point, the Toronto Blue Jays find themselves well over the .500 mark and right in the mix in the American League.
Despite having a run differential that is slightly negative, the Blue Jays have been able to find ways to win and are right behind the New York Yankees in the AL East.
A somewhat slow start to the year has been turned around, and Toronto is now firmly looking to be a buyer rather than a seller at the trade deadline.
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With a fair amount of success of late, there have been numerous players who have performed well for the Blue Jays. However, one player has stood out so far as one of the best and most consistent players on the team.
Keegan Matheson of MLB.com recently wrote about the team MVP in the first half of the season for the Blue Jays being catcher Alejandro Kirk.
“Fresh off his five-year, $58 million extension in Spring Training, Kirk has paired an offensive renaissance with his excellent defense once again, playing at an All-Star level.”
Even though there is a lot of star power in the lineup for the Blue Jays with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, George Springer, and Anthony Santander, it has been Kirk who leads the team in batting average at the midway point.
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So far in 68 games this year, he has slashed .315/.362/.435 with seven home runs and 39 RBI.
The 26-year-old catcher was an All-Star for Toronto back in 2022, and it appeared like he was trending toward being one of the best at the position at a very young age. However, his offensive production slipped the last two campaigns, with an OPS under .700 each season.
Through the first half of the year, Kirk is on pace for his best offensive campaign yet.
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With some struggles early on from Bichette, Guerrero, and Santander, it was Kirk who has helped pick up some of the slack.
After just signing a contract extension, the improved production at the plate for the young catcher has made that deal look like a steal so far for the Blue Jays.
Finding good and consistent production from the catcher position is not easy in the Majors and the performance of Kirk is a significant reason why the team is over .500 so far.
As they hope to be a contender in the AL, they will be relying on their young catcher to continue to perform well.
For more Blue Jays news, head over to Blue Jays On SI.
Nick Ziegler is an alumnus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has been working in sports media covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for nearly a decade with various publications online. With his free time, Nick enjoys being at the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, and their golden retriever. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NickZiegler20.