Facts About Alejandro Kirk's Life and Career

One of the most exciting catchers in the game today is Alejandro Kirk of the Toronto Blue Jays.

He is fun to watch and has become a fan favorite. Check out this short video to see what we mean.

This article takes a deep dive into the life and career of Captain Kirk. It answers many common questions people have about him.

Read on to learn more!

Where is Kirk from?

Alejandro Kirk is from Tijuana, Mexico. He was born there on November 6, 1998.

He was raised in Mexico and was actually discovered by Blue Jays scouts during a showcase in Tijuana, back in 2016. More on that in a moment.

Kirk has two brothers who are also baseball players - Juan Jr. and Andres. Each are catchers and each play in the the Mexican League 

When was he Drafted?

Kirk was not drafted but was actually discovered by scouts during an August 2016 workout at the Estadio Gasmart in Tijuana. 

The story has it that the Blue Jays scouts were there to observe other players, but the 17 year old Kirk made a big impression on them. The scouts forgot about their initial targets, went back to their bosses and worked out an offer. 

Kirk agreed to the offer and signed a contract with the Blue Jays for $30,000 on September 24, 2016.

Kirk's Height and Weight

Alejandro Kirk is 5 ft 8 in tall and weighs 240 pounds.

He is generally shorter and heavier than most big league catchers. That doesn't mean, however, that his size makes him an ineffective catcher.

In fact, there have been several successful MLB catchers of similar stature such as Jose Molina (6 ft, 250 pounds), Salvador Perez (255 pounds), or even Hall of Famer Roy Campanella (5 ft 9 in).

Minor League Teams

In 2017, Kirk made his professional debut in the US by suiting up for the Rookie league GCL Blue Jays. The 18 year old appeared in just one game that season.

The following season, Kirk hit .354 in 206 at bats for the Bluefield Blue Jays of the Appalachian League.

Kirk then spent 2019 at the single-A level, appearing in a total of 92 games for the Dunedin Blue Jays and Lansing Lugnuts that year. 

He did not play in the minors during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. 

Kirk last played in the minors in 2021, appearing in 14 games for the triple-A Buffalo Bisons and hitting .347 over that stretch.

Alejandro Kirk's MLB Debut

Kirk was on the Blue Jays’ roster in 2020 during the abbreviated MLB season. He made his MLB debut on September 12, 2020 during a game at Toronto’s temporary home park (Buffalo’s Sahlen Field) against the New York Mets. 

Kirk was Toronto’s starting catcher that game and he batted eighth. In his first at bat during the third inning, Kirk grounded out to second. 

In his next at bat, he walked and ended up scoring on a sacrifice fly hit by Travis Shaw.

Kirk got his first MLB hit during his third at bat, which was a single to Left Field off of Mets pitcher Chasen Shreve.

In his last at bat in the eight inning, Kirk grounded out to second.

When all was said and done, Kirk had gone 3 for 1 with a hit, a run and a walk during his first big league game. He helped the Jays beat the Mets that day 3 to 2, which improved Toronto’s record to 25 - 20.

Rookie Cards

The first card Alejandro Kirk ever appeared on was the 2018 Bluefield Blue Jays team set, by Grandstand. 

However, that's not his rookie card.

Card hobby site Wax Pack Gods defines a rookie card as: "the first major, widely-distributed base card of a given player after he has appeared at the highest level of his sport."

Given that definition, Kirk technically has a few different rookie cards, including the following cards:

• 2021 Topps #551
• 2021 Panini Mosaic #267
• 2021 Topps Heritage #544
• 2021 Panini Prizm Tier II #169
• 2021 Topps Big League #231
• 2021 Topps Gypsy Queen #53
• 2021 Panini Chronicles Zenith #4
• 2021 Topps Allen & Ginter #261

 

You will notice that each of the cards mentioned above is marked with a symbol in the shape of home plate with the letters RC above the MLB logo. That indicates it's a rookie card.

Kirk's Contract and Salary

As of the 2022 season, Kirk is on a one year contract with the Blue Jays at a salary of $714,000 per year.

He will be eligible in 2027 for free agency.

Catcher's Gear That Kirk Uses

All Star is Alejandro Kirk's catcher's gear brand of choice.

He currently uses an All Star chest protector, leg guards and catcher's helmet. In the past, he has used a traditional catcher's mask and skull cap.

For his catcher's mitt, Kirk uses a black model by All Star.

Walk Up Song

El Mechón by Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga is Alejandro Kirk's walk up song.

The only other MLB player we know that used the same song was Sergio Romo.

A former pitcher and three time World Series winner with the San Francisco Giants, Romo used El Mechón as his warmup song when entering a game from the bullpen.

Alejandro Kirk's Stats

Prior to the 2022 MLB season, Kirk played in only 69 big league games and had a cumulative .259 batting average.

He is having a breakout year in 2022. Through August 3, 2022, Kirk is slashing .305/.384/.470 with 92 hits, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in 2022.

Behind the plate so far in 2022, Kirk has a .996 fielding percentage and he has thrown out 28% of runners attempting to steal.

All Star Game Appearances

Kirk was named to his first MLB All-Star team in 2022. And not only did he make the team, he overwhelmingly received the most fan votes of all catchers in the American League (AL). 

Upon being named to the team, Kirk said he was "very emotional" and incredibly happy.

He started behind the plate for the AL, and in doing so, became the youngest AL catcher to start an All-Star game since Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez did so in 1995.

Kirk got two at bats in the game and went 0 for 2 with a fielders choice and a sacrifice fly.

He was eventually replaced by Yankees catcher Jose Trevino.

Thanks for Reading 

We hope you enjoyed this article. We learned a lot about Alejandro Kirk in preparing it, and we plan to add more info to the article over time.

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