Toronto Blue Jays’ rookie catcher Alejandro Kirk is not your prototypical baseball player.
He doesn’t tower over opposing catchers or Major League umpires with his 5-foot-8, 220 pound frame when he steps into the batters box. He doesn’t intimidate infielders with his blazing speed on the base paths.
Instead, he sticks to what he is good at; being a natural hitter.
Kirk, who had never played higher than Class-A baseball, showcased his raw power and sharp hand-eye coordination scouts had been clamoring over for the last four years en route to a Blue Jays 11-5 victory over the Yankees that included a perfect four hits in four at bats, one home run, 1 RBI and two runs scored on Monday night.
He became the first catcher 21 years or younger since Johnny Bench (1969) with at least four hits that included two for extra bases.
In seven games, Kirk has seven hits, 1 home run, 1 RBI and a .412 batting average.
“He’s always looking for a pitch to hit, and he did that today,” said Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo on Monday night.
Kirk was called up to the Major Leagues on Sept. 12 after Blue Jays catchers Danny Jansen, Reese McGuire and Caleb Joseph struggled mightily to find any type of offense. They were a combined .508 OPS, and had just eight extra-base hits in 163 plate appearances.
When he arrived in 2016 from Mexico as an International Free Agent, he was labeled as a player with a chance to become, at best, an average hitter because of his above-average raw power and ability to control the strike zone.
After only appearing in one game in 2017, due to a re-aggravated a hand injury that he initially sustained in a car accident, Kirk bounced back with two impressive back-to-back seasons. In 2018 with the Bluefield Blue Jays of the Appalachian League, he had a slash line of .354/.443/.558 to go along with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs in 244 plate appearances.
Kirk followed that up with a solid 2019 season where he split time between Class-A Lansing and Class-A Advanced Dunedin where he hit .288/.395/.446 with four home runs, 36 RBIs and 25 doubles.
“One of my goals since spring training was to improve my catching,” Kirk said. “I want to be more focused on catching, how to call games, have great communications with pitchers and I think I did a lot better at that. That was the part I was missing and why I believe I’m here now.”
With the Blue Jays playoff berth on the horizon and the emergence of Kirk, the 2020 postseason could be exciting for the organization.