logo
Just how important is Alejandro Kirk to the Blue Jays?
alt
Photo credit: © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Matthew Spagnuolo
Jun 17, 2025, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 17, 2025, 07:59 EDT
Comments
A common conversation among Blue Jays fans has been about Alejandro Kirk and his importance to the club. After trading away both Gabriel Moreno in 2023 and Danny Jansen in 2024, many were down on Kirk as the starting catcher, although some were hanging onto the past catchers and what the Jays may have lost. Before the season started, Kirk signed a five-year contract extension worth $58 million ($11.6 million per season).
Considering the value for other top catchers in MLB: Salvador Perez (4 yrs/$82 million), Cal Raleigh (6 yrs/$118 million), J.T. Realmuto (5 years/$115 million), this seemed like a solid deal for the Jays.
The contract, given the current production, is quite a bargain as Kirk is now turning back to his 2022 All-Star self. So far this season, he is slashing .316/.357/.425 in 58 games this season with an .781 OPS. Kirk is also tied for second on the team in RBIs (31) behind Bo Bichette (41), and he’s added five home runs and eight doubles this season. His importance at the plate has benefited this team greatly this year, as the Blue Jays missed his bat after hitting a career worst .253/.319/.359 with an OPS of .677 in 2024 and struggling to a .692 OPS the year before.
Defensively, we already know how Kirk has done incredibly well at framing pitches, as he is ranked the top framer in MLB with a ranking of +6. This isn’t news to Jays fans. Last season, Kirk recorded 46 assists behind the plate and tossed out 31% of base stealers, an improvement from his 18.1% mark from 2023.
So far in 2025, he has put up 19 assists in 52 games. It helps a lot when you have great fielders like Ernie Clement, Bo Bichette, and Andres Gimenez to help throw out runners on the base path in key situations.  When it comes to defensive runs saved (DRS), Kirk has a ranking of +5, and when it comes to fielding run value (FRV), he’s ranked an MLB-best 11. When it comes to his strike rate, Kirk is also second in the league with his framing earning the team 49.2% of strike calls. It’s also worth noting that, compared to the other catchers listed above, Kirk is doing the second-best offensively with his OPS beating Perez (.677 in 63 games) and Realmuto (.663 in 55 games).
Within the last two weeks alone, Kirk has eight RBIs in 11 games, which just goes to show you how well the team can do when he’s swinging a hot bat. He has already matched his home run total from last season and in terms of hardest hit balls, Kirk’s average exit velocity off the bat is 92.6 mph, which puts him in the top 9% of batters in the league. As well, he is ranked in the top 2% of the league in hardest hit percentage, with 56.5% of balls being hit at a very powerful rate. 
While the season is long, having this kind of production from Alejandro Kirk, making under $12 million a season for the next five years, is an absolute value contract for the Blue Jays. 
With Kirk already having a Silver Slugger in his hardware cabinet, his defensive numbers can have him have the potential to add a Gold Glove to that resume. To have a catcher who’s not only a great asset behind the plate, but once you get his bat going, you can have something more to rely on when driving in runs. 
Celebrate Vladdy’s big news in style with the exclusive new BlueJaysNation Vladdy merch — available only at NationGear.ca! Rep a future Hall of Famer and wear your team’s pride loud. Limited drop. Don’t miss out.

Featured

Editorials

Breaking News