TORONTO — As Jose Berrios walked up to the podium in the media conference room at Rogers Centre on Wednesday morning, he turned to the gathering of reporters and cracked a joke.
"You see what Kirk did? He brought all of you here," Berrios said with a smile.
The Toronto Blue Jays right-hander was referring to teammate Alejandro Kirk, who just minutes before addressed media for the first time since signing a five-year, $58-million contract extension on Tuesday.
Of course, the reason for the assembly of cameras and recording devices was that the Blue Jays were holding their workout day ahead of Thursday's season-opener against the Baltimore Orioles. However, it was also a day in which Kirk was in the spotlight.
Kirk said signing the contract was a "special moment" for him and his wife, daughter and parents, who were all in Toronto for the occasion.
"It's something that's very special," Kirk said through interpreter Hector Lebron. "I'm feeling very excited about the contract, but my main goal for now is just to win. That's my mentality. Try to be in the playoffs every year."
Kirk, who the Blue Jays signed out of Mexico as an amateur free agent in 2016, is entering his sixth major-league season but the first in which he's expected to be the primary catcher and not part of a timeshare behind the plate. He said conversations with the club about an extension began in spring training once the Grapefruit League schedule had begun.
"It's something that you always want, especially with the team that signs you," said Kirk. "It was a little bit of a surprise. I wasn't expecting it, to tell you the truth."
The 26-year-old entered the majors as an offence-first contributor but has since worked diligently to become one of the stronger defensive catchers in the sport. Since 2022, Kirk leads all MLB catchers with 39 defensive runs saved and last year, his pitch framing ranked in the 93rd percentile.
Kirk enjoyed his best year as a hitter in ’22, when he posted a 127 OPS-plus and won a Silver Slugger award. He regressed offensively in 2023 and ’24 — combining for 13 home runs and a 93 OPS-plus across those two seasons — but the Blue Jays feel confident that Kirk can reverse that trend. His ability to make contact has always remained strong and Kirk did impress onlookers during spring training.
Beyond the field, though, the organization has been impressed with the growth that Kirk has displayed behind the scenes.
"He has shown that he can not only be elite on the field, but elite in the clubhouse," said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. "Earning the trust of players and he's heavily involved with game-planning. There's a lot on his plate. I wish everyone could walk through his day — it's a lot.
“It's every single meeting and then getting yourself ready for the game. So, he's really moved the needle forward in that area."
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Schneider lauded Kirk's communication and leadership and says that once the club traded longtime catcher Danny Jansen last July, Kirk took ownership of his new role as the clear No. 1.
"When you're in a timeshare — for a couple of years it was with [Jansen] or [former Blue Jays catcher Gabriel Moreno], whoever it was — you go about it perhaps a little bit different," said Schneider. "You're not as assertive in certain areas. Going back to last year, [Kirk] took a step forward in that understanding. It was probably after we traded Jano and it was, 'OK, this is my team.'"
Kirk spent two months at the Blue Jays' player development complex prior to spring training in order to better prepare himself for the campaign. He pointed to that extra work and said he feels better "physically and mentally" than he did during his all-star season in 2022.
His teammates have taken notice.
"He been working really, really hard to try to stay in shape, healthy and strong out there to compete and win ballgames," said Berrios, who will take the mound on Thursday with Kirk as his batterymate. "I'm happy and I'm proud of him.
“Now it's time to enjoy that,” added Berrios. “But also, I know he's going to keep focused and continue working hard to try to get better everyday.”
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