It's time to admit that Alejandro Kirk is an elite catcher

The undisputed number one catcher for the Blue Jays ever since the Danny Jansen trade last summer, Kirk was recently named as the eighth best catcher in baseball by MLB Network.

While the ranking might surprise a few, especially given Kirk's perceived up-and-down offence in 2024, those who pay attention to the minutiae of defensive metrics will likely agree with this sentiment.

Although his power has dipped since hitting 15 home runs in 2022, where Kirk recently is in his pitch framing abilities. In this, he considered one the best in the entire league.

As of the end of the 2024 season, Kirk sits in the 93rd percentile in both pitch framing and caught stealing above average, while he is in the 83rd percentile for blocks above average. Those are staggeringly good numbers.

Catching may be the hardest to evaluate as numbers like WAR don't often fully reflect the position's true value. That's why many advanced metrics such as pitch framing are being looked at more and more. Even some of his offensive metrics are tops in the league.

According to baseball savant, Kirk is near the top in both whiff percentage and strikeout percentage. This means that not only does he strike out very little, he also makes contact. For 2024, his K% was 13.2. That's a rare breed for a catcher. While his base running is notably poor, he is in the 98th percentile for fielding run value, having an FRV of 14.

Simply put Alejandro Kirk is elite and is only getting better. If there's one thing Jays fans should take solace in, it's that.

SOURCES - Baseball Savant, MLB Top 10, SportsNet.