Feeling better than ever, Kirk ready for his chance to shine with Blue Jays

It’s been a very long time since the Blue Jays entered a season with this much promise at the catching position.

When Danny Jansen roasted a pair of loud home runs during the club’s weekend series versus the Texas Rangers, things were great. The 26-year-old looked fully capable of tapping into his power potential and surpassing Russell Martin’s franchise record for most home runs (23) in a season by a catcher set in 2015.

Then on Monday, Jansen hit the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain — an unfortunate development, but one that creates an exciting opportunity for Toronto’s other catcher, Alejandro Kirk.

The 23-year-old is truly one of the more enigmatic figures in baseball. Scouted by the Blue Jays out of Mexico, the 5-foot-8, 265-pound catcher doesn’t look very imposing until you put a bat in his hands.

Kirk’s done nothing but hit since he rocketed through the minors and onto a big-league field in 2020. His incredible bat-to-ball skills negate any potential disadvantages from his unconventional body type, and he’s slashed .259/.336/.455 with nine homers in 69 games prior to this year.

Injuries have stolen some of Kirk’s time in the big leagues, but now, after a diligent offseason and with a path to clear playing time, he feels like 2022 is finally the year he shows the league what he’s capable of.

“My body feels great,” Kirk said through team interpreter Hector Lebron. “I’m feeling good at the plate, and I’m going to continue to keep working hard.”

Kirk is so talented on offence that he’ll often rotate into the designated hitter spot, something managers typically try to avoid, since if the starting catcher leaves with an injury, there’ll be no one on the bench to back him up. But Kirk’s bat needs to be in the lineup if Toronto wants to win, and in a Blue Jays batting order loaded with talent, that’s really saying something.

“That definitely feels great,” Kirk said of his team’s confidence in his offence. “To be a DH in this lineup, I really appreciate that.”

Jansen is on the shelf for now, but when he does return, he and Kirk could give the Blue Jays the most firepower they’ve had out of the catching spot in years. And their vastly different skill sets make that possible.

“Our hitting styles, obviously [Kirk] has got a tremendous feel of the bat in the strike zone and takes his walks,” Jansen said. “And then I tend to be more aggressive but kind of take some walks, too. We both want to win.”

Kirk has quietly evolved on defence, too, making strides in blocking and his catch-and-throw abilities over the winter. Jansen, who’s appreciated for how he handles the pitching staff, has noticed Kirk’s progression.

“He's always hit,” Jansen said of Kirk. “That's obviously a huge strength of his. And catching, every year he’s getting better and better and better.”

Jansen said he’s even learned a few things from watching his younger teammate.

“Defensively, I think he receives the low balls as best as anyone,” he said. “So it's something, for me personally, that I like to watch — watch him catch, watch him hit — and just see if I can apply any of it to my game.”

Strike rate is a stat that measures how well a catcher frames borderline pitches and converts them to strikes. In 2021, Kirk had a 61.7% strike rate on low, centre-cut pitches down the middle, best in the majors among qualified catchers. Because of his receiving talents, Kirk’s glove has quickly become a welcome target for Blue Jays pitchers.

“I think [Kirk] gets a feel of what I'm trying to do out there,” starting pitcher Kevin Gausman said after his season debut Saturday. “He presents everything really well to umpires … He is such a good low-ball catcher, and so he steals strikes down there. And really I thought there were a lot of strikes that we got tonight that maybe [the other team’s catcher] missed.”

It’s easy to forget, but Kirk was also Robbie Ray’s personal catcher during his spectacular AL Cy Young-winning season last year. There’s no doubt some of those stolen strikes helped Ray turn in one of the best pitching performances in Blue Jays history.

Like Gausman said, having Kirk back there to receive pitches gives Toronto a competitive advantage that 29 other teams don’t have. So, during a season where the Blue Jays are World Series contenders, get used to seeing Kirk behind the dish because, right now, he gives Toronto its best chance to win.

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