Blue Jays Have MLB’s Best Backup Catcher Nobody Talks About

As Alejandro Kirk’s understudy, he has appeared in 50 games, accumulating 139 plate appearances. He’s batting .331 with an .887 OPS, three home runs, 17 RBIs and 21 runs scored, with a pair of stolen bases to boot.

Considering he entered this year with a career .212 batting average and .571 OPS, things are going better than anyone could have predicted.

Heineman’s Bat Is Finally Keeping Pace With His Glove

While having the best offensive season of his career, you can’t sleep on Heineman’s defense. None of his Statcast sliders on Baseball Savant jump out at you — except his defense. He’s no slouch behind the plate.

Heineman’s metrics aren’t elite, but they’re all well above average. His +2 framing is in the 78th percentile, while his +5 blocks above average ranks in the 85th percentile. His +3 caught stealing above average is in the 80th percentile, and his 1.92-second pop time ranks in the 77th percentile.

Just ask Shohei Ohtani what he thinks of Heineman’s arm.

The former eighth-round draft pick has already amassed 2.3 fWAR, ranking sixth among his Blue Jays teammates. His previous career high was 0.7 fWAR in 62 games in 2022. Combined with Kirk’s 3.5 fWAR, Toronto’s catchers have been the second-most valuable backstops in the majors behind Seattle (thanks to Cal Raleigh’s all-time season.)

Heineman Attributes His Success To His Mindset

Heineman experienced moderate success in his previous brief stints in a Blue Jays uniform. He hit .241 with a .703 OPS in 66 plate appearances. So the front office thought they might be able to get something out of his bat this season. But they probably didn’t plan on this.

The secret to his surprising 2025 season? His mental game, as Heineman told Sportnet’s Arden Zwelling in late July.

“I wish I had the answer for you, honestly,” Heineman said about why his season is going so well, per Zwelling. “I think it’s just embracing who I am. I’ve been chasing my whole career, chasing things that really aren’t me. Chasing exit velocity, chasing bat speed, because I think that’s what everyone wants. I’m just trying to be good with what I have.”

Per Zwelling, Heineman has been focusing on the present and less on the future as part of his work with Blue Jays mental performance coach John Lannan as well as a private mental skills specialist.

“I’m really trying to buy into being as present as I can on each at-bat and each pitch,” Heineman told Zwelling. “My entire process, it’s exhausting. But it also doesn’t allow me to future-trip too often. And it keeps me going. It’s a mental checklist I go through, almost like a funnel into a game and then funnel out of it.”

Whatever Heineman is doing is clearly working. The Blue Jays and their fans certainly hope their backup catcher can continue staying in the moment as they barrel their way toward the postseason.