Alejandro Kirk (born November 6, 1998) is a Mexican
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professiona ...
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...
for the
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
(MLB).
Early life
Kirk began playing baseball at three years of age, and grew up a fan of
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals h ...
. His
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Professional career
Kirk was discovered by
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
scout Dean Decillis at a showcase held by the
Toros de Tijuana
The Toros de Tijuana (or Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican Baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They are members of the Mexican Baseball League and play their home games at Estadio Chevron.
Team history
Original Attempt
The fra ...
of the
Mexican League
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
. He was signed by the team on September 24, 2016, and received a $7,500 signing bonus, with the Toros receiving $22,500 to release him. He made his professional debut with the Rookie-level
Gulf Coast League Blue Jays
The Florida Complex League Blue Jays are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays. The team plays i ...
in 2017, appearing in one game. He played the entire 2018 season with the Rookie Advanced
Bluefield Blue Jays
The Bluefield Blue Jays were a minor league baseball team of the Rookie Appalachian League representing the twin cities of Bluefield, West Virginia, and Bluefield, Virginia. The team played their home games at Bowen Field at Peters Park, a histo ...
, and recorded a .354
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average i ...
with 10
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...
s and 57
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...
(RBI) in 58 games. Kirk also walked more than he struck out, finishing the season with 33 and 21 respectively. He was promoted to the Class-A
Lansing Lugnuts
The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field.
The Midwest League came to Lans ...
to begin the 2019 season, and later earned a promotion to the Advanced-A
Dunedin Blue Jays
The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpark ...
, where he finished the year. In 92 total games played, Kirk hit .290 with seven home runs, 44 RBI, and 56 walks against just 39 strikeouts. On February 7, 2020, the Blue Jays invited Kirk to
spring training
Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...
.
Kirk was expected to begin the 2020 minor league season with the Double-A
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major league club.
During the team's first seas ...
, however the season was delayed and ultimately cancelled by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. He was added to the team's
taxi squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
on September 1, 2020. On September 11, Kirk was called up by the Blue Jays. He made his debut the following night, and recorded his first MLB hit. On September 21, 2020, he recorded four hits and his first home run in the majors. He also became the first catcher 21 or younger with four hits in a game since
Joe Mauer
Joseph Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and first baseman, who spent his entire 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Minnesota Twins. A six-time All-Star, Mauer is the only ca ...
in 2004. Overall with the 2020 Blue Jays, Kirk batted .375 with one home run and three RBI in nine games.
On May 8, 2021, Kirk was placed on the 60-day injured list with a left hip flexor injury. On July 20, Kirk was activated off of the injured list after missing over two months of action. Overall for the 2021 season, Kirk batted .242 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs in 60 games.
On July 8, 2022, Kirk was named an All-Star for the first time in his career, along with teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Kirk finished the 2022 season batting .285 with 14 home runs and 63 RBI. On November 10, he was announced as the winner of the
Silver Slugger award
The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball.
These voters con ...