Look, I can’t just not see a player with the last name Kirk and just go full Trek. Plus, this is a nerd safe space, right? Y’all playing fantasy baseball, so I figure equal opportunity nerdom comes into effect. It’s not just natural law, but based on science as well. Totally. And while this will not turn into the usual derivative Trek conversations (Picard vs. Kirk! Star Trek vs. Star Wars! Basement living amenities vs. Garage living amenities!), I will definitely be talking about one Alejandro Kirk (Latino Kirk from the Mirror Universe?) and what this young player can do for you in the closing weeks of the season. Will it be good? Will it be bad? I mean, the player or the post? Both could be diametrically opposed answers… actually, now that I think about it, let’s just move on…
So I don’t think it’s wrong to say that you should know who Alejandro Kirk is or what he does, especially for all the keeper league formats out there. While what I have to say focuses a bit more on teams that are still in the thick of it, if you are in long-standing leagues, I can just save the suspense and state that this catcher is one of interest, and has the potential to produce quite well at a position that has a history of well, not having such produce. To the produce aisle!
Since being activated from the injured list July 23rd (a nearly three-month stint due to a hip injury), Kirk has simply been hitting, period. Kinda redundant when you think about it, and who would ever think two periods back to back is a practical idea, especially if you’re a woman? So far Kirk has hit .293 with four home runs with a .356 OBP, and he’s done this while skipping two Minor League levels and, of course, the aforementioned hip issue.
Currently hitting .273/.347/.492 for the entire year, Kirk is projected to have an above-average hit tool, some power and does field well enough to at least be considered a short-term catcher. While his frame probably does not project well as a career backstop, I’m a bit more optimistic that he can keep his catcher eligibility for at least several more seasons. I should note that he has been splitting time at DH, but at the moment the Blue Jays have a bit of a roster glut and this is only to get Kirk more at-bats, a positive no matter anyway you look at it.
And as I mentioned, what he’s done with those at-bats is very encouraging and in part, that’s due to his very strong plate discipline thus far. With a BB% of 8.7 and a 12.0 K%, Kirk has already shown a propensity to make contact (82.4% career) and keep his swings at a minimum on pitchers outside of the zone (26.3%). Additionally, his spread at the plate is somewhat balanced, both pulling and hitting to center at a pretty even clip. Pull-happy isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but creates a profile that can be taken advantage of with the right pitchers. In Kirk’s case, he certainly can still go opposite field enough to make a difference with a 25.0% clip.
The one aspect of his game that might have a hard ceiling on is of course the power. Projected to just be average, I want to point out that it is encouraging that his Soft% stands at a low 12.1% so far this season, achieving a very nominal Med% of 56.0 and a somewhat surprising 31.9 Hard%. For what it’s worth, I don’t think he’ll reach 30 home runs in a season for his career, but 20 certainly seems possible, and if you add that with his ability to make contact, you have a .300 hitter with 15-20 home runs, which, you know was basically what Joe Mauer used to do during his peak. Now, I’m not saying Kirk is Mauer, but the projections aren’t crazy and while he’s on his hot streak now, is certainly worth your attention.
So that’s the point, in any keeper format, you’d be hard-pressed to find Kirk on your roster unless he already is, but in other formats and even taking out his future projections, Kirk certainly seems like a player who can help now and help you in certain categories and roster movements. And if nothing else, you get to do a lot of things with all the Star Trek puns, which surely is a huge part of your eventual decision.
Now, all we need is a baseball player with the last name Khan and we’re all set.
Set for what, I’m not sure, but I’m sure we can figure it out when we get there. Nerds.
Jay is a longtime Razzball everything who consumes an egregious amount of Makers Mark as a vehicle to gain wisdom and augment his natural glow. Living in the D.C. area, he also likes spending time visiting the local parks and feeding lettuce to any turtles he encounters, including Mitch McConnell. You can follow him on Twitter @jaywrong.
