Track Record: It’s easy to overlook Kirk because of his squatty body type, but his track record of hitting continues to sparkle. Signed out of Mexico in 2016, Kirk reached high Class A in 2019 and spent most of 2020 at the alternate training site. He made the jump to Toronto in September and earned regular playing time down the stretch in the Blue Jays’ playoff push.
Scouting Report: Built like a shorter Pablo Sandoval, Kirk matches Sandoval’s innate ability to barrel the baseball. He has short arms, a short swing and makes frequent contact, striking out just 10% of the time in 2019 and showing the bat control that translated in his brief big league callup. He has a small strike zone and stays disciplined within it, tracking pitches to drive fastballs and breaking pitches to all fields, especially fastballs at the top of the zone. He has average raw power that he accesses in games because of his ability to consistently find the sweet spot. Kirk’s detractors worry about his body and question his defensive skills behind the plate, while others think he receives well, does a solid job with blocking and works well with his pitchers. He has an average arm.
The Future: Kirk made a big jump to the majors at the end of the season, so more minor league time would be reasonable. Still, his performance catapulted him into the 2021 big league picture.
