Better Know Your Blue Jays 40-man Alejandro Kirk

Get to Know Alejandro Kirk, Your Blue Jays 40-man

He hit.285/.372/.415 in his 2022 season, good for an OPS+ of 127, which earned him a 3.9 bWAR, a spot on the All-Star team, and the Silver Slugger Award. In addition, pitchers for the Jays had a 3.44 ERA when they threw to him, whereas they had a 3.74 ERA when they threw to Danny Jansen. However, it’s possible that this difference was due to the pitchers he was facing; maybe he was facing superior beginning pitchers.

2023 did not measure up. Alejandro batted.250/.334/.358 with a 1.9 bWAR and 93 OPS+. Pitchers that threw to Danny Jansen had a 4.03 ERA and 3.40 ERA, respectively, and he was still adept at framing pitches.

Furthermore, he wasn’t as adept at catching base stealers. He threw out 26% (league average: 25%) in 2022 and 18% (league average: 21%; new regulations made base stealing simpler) in 2023.

Apart from that, he’s a slow. He was the worst player in the league for players with more than 400 PA, being 10.3 runs below the average player on the bases. His FanGraphs website describes him as “a bowling ball of a human,” so he wasn’t exactly the epitome of an athletic man. Some folks don’t give a damn about whatever he does well, only caring that he isn’t athletic.

The question of whether he appeared more fit was discussed during yesterday’s game. Although the image for this piece portrays a Kirk who is at least considerably fitter, I didn’t think he looked that much different.

The “fitness” level of a player doesn’t actually worry me. I’ve watched enough baseball to know that many excellent players weren’t even close to being at their physical best. David Wells was with the Jays. John Kruk of the Phillies once said, “I ain’t an athlete, lady,” in response to a reporter asking how he could be an athletic at his size. Baseball is my sport.

That being said, I’m more curious to see if he can hit as hard as he did in 2022. The home run from yesterday gives me optimism.

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