A season of growth for Kirk culminates in second All-Star selection

TORONTO -- Alejandro Kirk has reestablished himself as one of the best catchers in baseball this season, so he’s right back where he belongs as an American League All-Star for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard.

Kirk got the news early Sunday in the middle of the Blue Jays’ hitters meeting, but everyone in the room should have already known it was coming. Kirk is in the middle of a fantastic season -- he might even have a case for team MVP -- and if it weren’t for Cal Raleigh’s historic start in Seattle, he’d have a fine case to be the AL starter.

“I was very emotional and very happy,” Kirk said through a club interpreter. “I’m very happy for the opportunity to go to Atlanta.”

Everyone who coaches or plays alongside Kirk tends to say the same things. He’s beloved, but he’s quiet, the sense of calm that balances out so many of the big personalities in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse, particularly on the pitching staff. Kirk’s two managers, Charlie Montoyo and John Schneider, have always described him identically.

“Kirky is like this,” they say, then hold a steady hand out in front of themselves.

At his best, Kirk is this team’s rock, the forever reliable 26-year-old who never gets too high and never gets too low. Now, he’s an All-Star for a second time after making his first trip in 2022, his breakout season when he also won the Silver Slugger Award. He’ll be joining Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is back for his fifth trip to the All-Star Game, and while the two are happy to share the honor together, each young star went out of his way to say how much this moment means to his young family.

“I’ll tell you what, it was obviously very emotional the first time around, but I think this one is going to be more special because I’m going to go with my daughter,” Kirk said.

This season brought a new challenge for Kirk, now the undisputed starter in Toronto after spending most of his career as part of a tandem with Danny Jansen. Both catchers benefited from that arrangement for years, but Kirk has flourished in an everyday role, posting a .301 average with seven home runs and a .772 OPS over 75 games.

So much of Kirk’s growth has come on the defensive side, too. As a prospect, he could always hit, but Kirk has worked tirelessly on his throwing, which is showing up almost nightly in games, and he has become one of the best blocking catchers in the Majors, to the delight of his pitching staff.

“Unbelievable growth. I remember in 2020, when he came up, we were literally writing down on his wrist band what pitchers threw,” Schneider said. “He shared time with Jansen, then we traded Gabby [Moreno], we traded Jano, and for him to understand that this is his team, he’s really taken it to heart. It started in the offseason, and to watch his growth is pretty cool, to watch pitchers’ trust growing in him is pretty cool. And what he’s doing offensively is one of the best in the league.”

Kirk’s bat had been quieter over the past two seasons, though, while he took a step forward defensively. Now, we’re seeing what it looks like when it all comes together.

“I consider myself a complete hitter right now,” Kirk said. “Maybe in prior years, I was trying to hit homers, but I don’t consider myself a homer hitter. This year, I’m trying to be a complete hitter, to hit the ball the other way and get the runners in. I want to find ways to help the team win.”

Pair Kirk’s offensive approach with the steady nature that Montoyo and Schneider have always praised him for, and you have a hitter built for big moments. The Blue Jays seem destined for the postseason, given their recent surge to the top of the AL East, and it looks like Kirk will have another shot at the big stage he deserves.