Alejandro Kirk Predicted to Make Blue Jays History

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Graves | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 5:04 PM ET

Each year, MLB's Gold Glove Awards recognize the top defensive players at every position. This year, Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk is making a strong push to earn the first of his career.

A panel of MLB.com writers and researchers recently voted on which fielders they believe will win the Gold Gloves at the end of the season, not just who is most deserving right now . One of the biggest shake-ups could come behind the plate in the American League, where Kirk is challenging 2024 winner Cal Raleigh for the honor.

Raleigh, who took home the award last year, is enjoying a standout offensive season with the Seattle Mariners. However, his defensive metrics have dipped slightly. That could open the door for Kirk, whose quiet excellence behind the plate has drawn more attention in 2025.

"While Kirk isn't blessed with a cannon arm, he has found other ways to combat the running game (97th percentile in Caught Stealing Above Average, per Statcast), to go with elite framing and pitch blocking (100th percentile in both)," the MLB.com panel noted. "That all leads to a Fielding Run Value of plus-13, best among all players this year."

Now 26, Kirk has established himself as one of the most dependable defenders in baseball. He thrives in the subtleties of the position, controlling the running game with quick transfers, stealing strikes for pitchers and blocking pitches in the dirt with precision.

In the first four years of Alejandro Kirk's career, he threw out less than one-fifth of runners (19.9%).

Since the beginning of 2024, he's up to 31.0%. This is the biggest play on a quiet afternoon so far for the Blue Jays. pic.twitter.com/MkoFyu05yV
— Nick Ashbourne (@NickAshbourne) June 22, 2025

If he holds course, Kirk could make history as the first Blue Jays catcher ever to win a Gold Glove and continue a remarkable AL trend: he'd be the sixth different catcher to earn the award in as many years.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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