Alejandro Kirk was once known as a catcher who was “better at hitting than catching.” When he joined MLB in 2020, his image was associated with a stable bat, an atypical physique, and big questions about his defense. But a few years have passed, and that story has changed in a very… quiet way.
No fanfare. No titles. Just numbers that are increasingly hard to ignore.
Recently, Mike Petriello of MLB.com published a list of the best defensive players in MLB, regardless of position. Alejandro Kirk ranked 7th in the league. Even more noteworthy: he is one of only three names in the top 10 who have never won a Gold Glove. Not because of a lack of achievements. Perhaps because his transformation has been quieter than the spotlight.
In six seasons with Toronto, Kirk achieved a fielding percentage of .993, made only 27 errors, and conceded 15 hits—extremely clean numbers for a regularly competing catcher. But his true value doesn’t lie in traditional statistics.
Kirk accumulated 45 Defensive Runs Saved, a number that places him in the elite group of catchers. His 22.7% base steal rate might not be shocking, but it’s consistent enough to put him in the “reliable” zone. And then there are the advanced statistics—where the gap between Kirk and the rest of the league becomes clear.
According to Baseball Savant, Kirk ranked 100th percentile in Blocks Above Average and 98th percentile in framing last season. In other words, almost no one in MLB blocks better than him, and very few “cheat” on pitchers’ strikes as well as he does. With Kirk behind the plate, the Blue Jays simply don’t give opponents a chance to score free runs.
What makes this recognition interesting is that it comes against the backdrop of Toronto already boasting a host of Gold Glove winners: Daulton Varsho, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Andrés Giménez, Myles Straw. Names familiar with voting and awards ceremonies. But Kirk—the man who dominated the action, the player with the most touches in the game—quickly surpassed them in overall defensive rankings.
And he wasn’t just defensive.
In the 2025 season, Kirk had one of the most complete years of his career: .282 batting average, .769 OPS, 15 home runs, 76 RBIs in 130 games. Not an offensive superstar, but exactly what the Blue Jays needed from a catcher: consistent, durable, and not disrupting the lineup’s rhythm.
The truth is: Gold Glove winners don’t always keep up with the data. MLB history is full of players who were recognized late, when the story was already… too clear. Kirk is on that threshold. He’s no longer just a “good catcher with mediocre defense.” He’s one of the best defensive pillars in the entire league, regardless of position.
The question now isn’t “Does Alejandro Kirk deserve the Gold Glove?”
But rather: how much longer will it take for the votes to catch up with what’s unfolding right before their eyes?
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