Alejandro Kirk...Signed with the Blue Jays as an international free agent Sept. 24, 2016...His favorite player growing up was 11-time All-Star Albert Pujols...Ranked by Baseball America as the 70th overall prospect heading into the 2021 season (fifth on Toronto).
2023
Nominated for a Gold Glove Award for the first time in his career...Finished second among catchers with 17 DRS... Went 2-for-4 with his first home run of the year and four RBI on April 11 vs. DET... Plated the game-winning run with a pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh inning on June 7 vs. HOU... Was hit by a pitch on June 18 at TEX and landed on the injured list with a left hand laceration from June 19-28... Singled four times for his fifth career four-hit game on July 22 at SEA (last: Sept. 6, 2022 at BAL)... Homered twice as part of a 3-for-4 day on July 29 vs. LAA, his 4th career multi-homer game (last: May 31, 2022 vs. CWS)... Went 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI on Aug. 30 vs. WAS, his first career game with multiple doubles... Cleared the bases with a pinch-hit double in the seventh inning on Sept. 1 at COL...Doubled in a career-high fourth straight game, the eighth player in team history to do so while either catching or playing DH... Recorded a pair of doubles and a pair of walks in a 2-for-3 night on Sept. 5 at OAK...Had multiple doubles for the second time in his career, both coming in his last six games (also: Aug. 30 vs. WAS)... Smashed a two-run homer in the ninth inning on Sept. 19 at NYY...Was his seventh longball of the year and first since July 29 vs. LAA, ending a career-long 34-game homerless skid... Went 2-for-6 with a walk and a HBP during the ALWC Series at MIN...Has reached base safely in all five career playoff games (6-for-17, 2BB, HBP).
2022
Among AL batters, ranked tenth in OBP (.372) and 16th in AVG (.285)...Claimed his first Silver Slugger Award, the first catcher in team history to do so...Led all MLB catchers in both AVG and OBP...Earned his first career All-Star nod, becoming the fourth All-Star catcher in Toronto history and the first to start the Midsummer Classic...Went 0-for-2 while catching four innings...Received the ceremonial opening pitch from six-time All-Star and fellow Mexican Fernando Valenzuela...Struck out just 58 times over 541 PA while drawing 63 walks...His 9.33 PA/K was fourth-best among qualified MLB hitters...Hit his first homer of the year on May 5 at CLE, snapping a career-long streak of 33 straight homerless games...Went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a walk while scoring four times May 29 at LAA...Became the third catcher in franchise history to score four runs in a game, joining John Buck (Aug. 20, 2010 at BOS) and Ernie Whitt (May 25, 1985 at CLE)...On May 31 vs. CWS, finished the night 3-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers, his first multi-HR game of the year (third career)...Hit his fifth home run June 5 vs. MIN, homering in consecutive games for the first time in 2022 (second career)...Was his fourth long ball in his last five contests...Went 4-for-5 on June 7 at KC for his second career four-hit game (also Sept. 21, 2020 vs. NYY)...Went deep on June 24 at MIL, homering in three consecutive games for the 1st time in his career...Finished 4-for-4 for his third career four-hit game...Drilled a three-run shot in the first inning June 26 at MIL for his 10th home run, part of a 2-for-4 game...Homered in four of his last five games...Put together a career-long nine-game hitting streak from July 12-26, batting .368 (14-for-38) with three extra-base hits and six RBI for a .943 OPS...Notched his career-high 14th home run with a solo shot in the second inning Sept. 25 at TB.
2021
Hit .292 with a .916 OPS in Spring Training and broke camp with the Major League team... Picked up his first home run of the season April 14 vs. NYY¡Was also his first hit of the year, snapping an 0-for-13 drought¡Marked his second career home run in his 16th career game, just the second Blue Jays catcher to accomplish the feat (J.P. Arencibia - 4HR)... Hit a home run in the fourth and fifth innings April 30 vs. ATL¡At 22 years and 175 days old, became the youngest catcher in team history with a multi-homer game (Danny Jansen - 24.080)...Also became the fifth catcher (sixth time) in Blue Jays history with home runs in back-to-back innings (last: Russell Martin on May 25, 2016, at NYY)... Placed on the injured list with a left hip flexor strain May 2... Activated on July 20 and optioned to Triple-A Buffalo...Hit .347 (17-for-49) with three doubles, two homers, and 13 RBI over 14 rehab/MiLB games for the Bisons... Recalled from Buffalo on July 23 and went 1-for-3 that night at NYM... Caught Joakim Soria on Aug. 2 vs. CLE to form the 4th Mexican-born battery in MLB history (last: Oliver Perez/Miguel Ojeda for the Padres in 2003)... Hit his fourth longball of the year Aug. 28 at DET, his first career homer on the road...Was his first career start at cleanup, finishing the game 1-for-5... Went 3-for-4 on Sept. 5 vs. OAK with a three-run bomb, his fifth home run of the year and secost career home run at Rogers Centre... Hit a pair of solo shots as part of a 3-for-4 effort Sept. 7 at NYY, his second career multi-homer effort...Homered in consecutive games for the first time in his career... Crushed his eighth round-tripper in Game 2 of a doubleheader Sept. 11 at BAL, his 4th homer in his last six games... Batted .248 (31-for-125) with seven doubles, five homers and 16 RBI (.753 OPS) in 43 games after being recalled July 23.
2020
Had his contract selected on Sept. 11 and made his MLB debut with a start on Sept. 12 vs. NYM... At 21 years and 311 days old, made the 4th-youngest catcher debut in team history, behind Brian Milner (18.218 on June 23, 1978), Carlos Delgado (21.098 on Oct. 1, 1993) and Greg Myers (21.151 on Sept. 12, 1987)¡became the 2nd catcher in team history to skip Double-A and Triple-A, joining Milner, who went straight from the draft to the Majors¡singled off of Chasen Shreve in the 6th inning for his 1st career hit¡finished 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored...Hit his 1st career home run on Sept. 21 vs. NYY, becoming the youngest catcher in team history to do so...led off the third, fourth, fifth and seventh innings with a hit, becoming the 5th player in team history to lead off four innings with a hit in the same game...became the 7th catcher in the last 50 years to record a four-hit game at the age of 21 or younger...became the 7th player in team history with a four-hit game at 21 or younger (last: Bo Bichette on Aug. 12, 2019 at TEX)...Made his postseason debut as the designated hitter in Game 1 of the ALWC on Sept. 29 at TB...At 21 years and 328 days old, was the 2nd youngest in MLB history to start at DH in the postseason, behind Oakland¡¯s Claudell Washington (21.035 on Oct. 5, 1975 at BOS)...had the Blue Jays¡¯ 1st hit of the playoffs, a single to start the 6th inning...became the youngest player in team history to record a playoff hit, ahead of Junior Felix (22.003 in Game 3 of the 1989 ALCS vs. OAK)...both his DH and hit marks were eclipsed a day later by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (21.198).
2019
Kicked off his season with 21 games for Class-A Lansing...Slashed .299/.427/.519 with 10 extra-base hits for the Lugnuts...Promoted to Advanced-A Dunedin on May 3...Kept a .288 average and an .841 OPS in 71 games to close out the campaign...Was named an MiLB.com Organizational All-Star at the end of the season.
