The Home of Fantasy Sports Analysis

Rest of Season Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Kirk Catching Fire

As we enter July, there are 10 hitters in baseball with an expected batting average of at least .300 and an expected weighted on-base average of at least .400. The list generally reads like a who’s who of fantasy baseball royalty. Yordan Alvarez, Aaron Judge, Freddie Freeman, and Rafael Devers are some of the names on the list. Five of the 10 hitters reside in the AL East, which is not a huge surprise. The Toronto Blue Jays claim one player on this list. That is also not much of a surprise. However, who that player is may be. It is not Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was one of five hitters to reach those thresholds last season. It’s also not George Springer, Bo Bichette, or Teoscar Hernandez. The Toronto Blue Jay who enters July with this prodigious year-to-date track record is none other than Alejandro Kirk.

Alejandro Kirk’s Rise to Prominence

Kirk has always had an impressive skill set at the plate. He hit well over .300 in the Minor Leagues in roughly a season’s worth of playing time (672 plate appearances). In the Minors, Kirk totaled 19 home runs, though 10 of those were in Rookie ball back in 2018. His biggest attribute was not his power per se, but his batting eye. Throughout his Minor League career, his swinging strike rate hovered between five and six percent, and he had more walks than strikeouts. We have seen plenty of players possess these types of profiles in the Minors only to struggle mightily when asked to face Big League pitching. That is especially true of younger players, as Kirk was just 21 years ago when he made his MLB debut. But Kirk has not missed a beat since joining Toronto. In fact, he might be getting better.

Last season, Kirk played in 60 games and had 189 plate appearances. He hit just .242, but the underlying metrics suggested that his batting average was hampered by some bad luck. His BABIP was just .234 last season. However, Kirk had an 11 percent barrel rate to go along with a 46.9 percent hard-hit rate. As a result, his xBA was a robust .288. And his plate discipline was steady. Kirk had a Z-swing percentage (percentage of pitches a batter swings at inside the zone) of 65.4 percent, compared to an O-swing percentage (percentage of pitches a batter swings at outside the zone) of just 28.4 percent. His Z-contact (contact rate on pitches in the strike zone) was 86.2 percent. Kirk had a double-digit walk rate (10.1 percent) while striking out just 11.6 percent of the time, with a swinging strike rate of just eight percent.

With a tantalizing skill set and a place in the loaded Toronto Blue Jays lineup, Kirk was a popular breakout candidate this season. But questions remained about whether he was truly ready for a full workload. Danny Jansen was still very much a part of Toronto’s plans, and top prospect Gabriel Moreno loomed in the Minors. But Kirk has put many of those doubts to rest with a phenomenal first half to the 2022 season. In addition to currently reaching the coveted .300 xBA and .400 xwOBA thresholds, Kirk ranks in the 99th percentile in strikeout rate and 96th percentile in whiff rate. Kirk’s 9.3 percent strikeout rate is fourth-lowest among qualified hitters. He and Keibert Ruiz are the only regular catchers with a rate lower than 15 percent. And only three others have a rate below 19.7 percent. Kirk also ranks in the 95th percentile in xSLG (expected slugging).

Kirk sits second among catchers in year-to-date fantasy production behind Willson Contreras. I don’t quite have him that high in my latest rest-of-season rankings, but he is certainly a top-five catcher for me. Even though I do expect a slight drop-off from what he has accomplished thus far this year, I am a big fan of Kirk’s game. In the era of “three true outcomes”, it is refreshing to see a hitter who can stay alive by fighting off tough pitches and avoid chasing outside the zone, instead waiting until he gets a pitch he can handle. Few lineups offer better protection than Toronto’s, so Kirk can certainly continue to build on his current pace. Regardless of what he does from here on out from a fantasy perspective, Alejandro Kirk is one of the better pure young hitters in the game.

Fantasy Baseball Rest of Season Rankings

RankNameTeamPositions
1Jose RamirezCLE3B,DH
2Ronald Acuna Jr.ATLDH,RF
3Trea TurnerLAD2B,SS
4Aaron JudgeNYYCF,RF,DH
5Vladimir Guerrero Jr.TOR1B,DH
6Shohei OhtaniLAASP,DH
7Gerrit ColeNYYSP
8Rafael DeversBOS3B
9Juan SotoWSHRF
10Kyle TuckerHOURF
11Yordan AlvarezHOULF,DH
12Corbin BurnesMILSP
13Mike TroutLAACF
14Bo BichetteTORDH,SS
15Luis RobertCWSCF
16Freddie FreemanLAD1B
17Manny MachadoSD3B,DH
18Shane McClanahanTBSP
19Pete AlonsoNYM1B,DH
20Tim AndersonCWSSS
21Paul GoldschmidtSTL1B,DH
22Cedric Mullins IIBALCF
23Mookie BettsLAD2B,CF,RF
24Austin RileyATL1B,3B
25George SpringerTORCF,DH,RF
26Josh HaderMILRP
27Starling MarteNYMCF,RF
28Sandy AlcantaraMIASP
29Jose AltuveHOU2B
30Byron BuxtonMINCF,DH
31Shane BieberCLESP
32Matt OlsonATL1B
33Carlos RodonSFSP
34Giancarlo StantonNYYLF,RF,DH
35Justin VerlanderHOUSP
36Teoscar HernandezTORDH,LF,RF
37Xander BogaertsBOSSS
38Bobby Witt Jr.KC3B,SS
39Aaron NolaPHISP
40Kevin GausmanTORSP
41Zack WheelerPHISP
42Max ScherzerNYMSP
43J.D. MartinezBOSLF,RF,DH
44Brandon WoodruffMILSP
45Francisco LindorNYMSS
46Dylan CeaseCWSSP
47Jose AbreuCWS1B,DH
48Randy ArozarenaTBDH,LF,RF
49Julio RodriguezSEACF,RF
50Corey SeagerTEXSS
51Whit MerrifieldKC2B,CF,RF
52Edwin DiazNYMRP
53Max FriedATLSP
54Nolan ArenadoSTL3B,DH
55Wander FrancoTB3B,SS
56Bryan ReynoldsPITLF,CF
57Trevor StoryBOS2B,SS
58Joe MusgroveSDSP
59Robbie RaySEASP
60Marcus SemienTEX2B,SS
61Emmanuel ClaseCLERP
62Tommy EdmanSTL2B,RF,SS
63Alek ManoahTORSP
64Lucas GiolitoCWSSP
65Dansby SwansonATLSS
66Carlos CorreaMINSS
67C.J. CronCOL1B,DH
68Julio UriasLADSP
69Clayton KershawLADSP
70Jordan RomanoTORRP
71Frankie MontasOAKSP
72Jazz Chisholm Jr.MIA2B,SS
73Will SmithLADC,DH
74Nick CastellanosPHIRF
75Liam HendriksCWSRP
76Christian YelichMILDH,LF
77Jacob deGromNYMSP
78Anthony RizzoNYY1B
79Kyle SchwarberPHI1B,DH,LF
80Ryan MountcastleBAL1B,LF,DH
81Josh BellWSH1B,LF
82Charlie MortonATLSP
83Kris BryantCOL1B,3B,LF,CF,RF
84Jorge PolancoMIN2B,SS
85Ketel MarteARI2B,CF,DH
86Framber ValdezHOUSP
87Craig KimbrelLADRP
88Adolis GarciaTEXCF,DH,LF,RF
89Fernando Tatis Jr.SDSS,CF,RF
90Jared WalshLAA1B,RF
91Pablo LopezMIASP
92Logan WebbSFSP
93Yu DarvishSDSP
94Taylor RogersSDRP
95Luis SeverinoNYYRP,SP
96Alex BregmanHOU3B
97Jose BerriosTORSP
98Raisel IglesiasLAARP
99Ryan PresslyHOURP
100Willson ContrerasCHCC,DH
101Logan GilbertSEASP
102Rhys HoskinsPHI1B
103Lance LynnCWSSP
104J.T. RealmutoPHIC,1B
105Jonathan IndiaCIN2B
106Nelson CruzWSHDH
107Tarik SkubalDETSP
108Chris BassittNYMSP
109Willy AdamesMILSS
110Bryce HarperPHIDH,RF
111Gleyber TorresNYY2B,SS
112Sean ManaeaSDSP
113Eloy JimenezCWSDH,LF
114Daulton VarshoARIC,CF,DH,LF,RF
115Taylor WardLAALF,CF,RF
116Seiya SuzukiCHCLF,RF
117Ian HappCHCCF,DH,LF,RF
118Marcell OzunaATLDH,LF
119David BednarPITRP
120Lourdes Gurriel Jr.TOR1B,DH,LF
121Luis GarciaHOUSP
122Zac GallenARISP
123Ke'Bryan HayesPIT3B
124Nathan EovaldiBOSSP
125Oneil CruzPITSS
126Luis CastilloCINSP
127Javier BaezDET2B,SS
128Jake CronenworthSD1B,2B,SS
129Michael KopechCWSSP,RP
130Tyler O'NeillSTLLF
131Franmil ReyesCLERF,DH
132Kyle WrightATLSP
133Austin HaysBALLF,RF
134Alejandro KirkTORC,DH
135Charlie BlackmonCOLDH,RF
136Cody BellingerLADCF
137Alex VerdugoBOSLF,CF,RF
138Tony GonsolinLADSP
139Nestor Cortes Jr.NYYSP,RP
140Sonny GrayMINSP
141Tyler MahleCINSP
142Tommy PhamCINCF,DH,LF
143DJ LeMahieuNYY1B,2B,3B
144Blake SnellSDSP
145Shane BazTBSP
146Kenley JansenATLRP
147Jeremy PenaHOUSS
148Andrew VaughnCWS1B,DH,LF,RF
149Ty FranceSEA1B,2B,3B,DH
150Alex CobbSFSP
151Jordan MontgomeryNYYSP
152Camilo DovalSFRP
153Carlos CarrascoNYMSP
154Brendan RodgersCOL2B,SS
155Jon GrayTEXSP
156Brandon LoweTB2B,LF,RF
157Mike ClevingerSDSP
158Justin TurnerLAD3B,DH
159Ramon LaureanoOAKCF,RF
160Patrick SandovalLAASP
161Andres GimenezCLE2B,SS
162Joey VottoCIN1B
163Aroldis ChapmanNYYRP
164Joe RyanMINSP
165Randal GrichukCOLCF,DH,RF
166Amed RosarioCLECF,LF,SS
167Max MuncyLAD1B,2B,3B,DH
168Nathaniel LoweTEX1B
169AJ PollockCWSCF,LF,RF
170Gregory SotoDETRP
171Alex WoodSFSP
172Trey ManciniBAL1B,DH,RF
173Andrew BenintendiKCLF
174Avisail GarciaMIARF
175Ryan McMahonCOL2B,3B
176David RobertsonCHCRP
177Kolten WongMIL2B
178Jameson TaillonNYYSP
179Matt ChapmanTOR3B
180Josh DonaldsonNYY3B,DH
181Jesse WinkerSEALF
182Trevor RogersMIASP
183MacKenzie GoreSDSP
184Connor JoeCOL1B,DH,LF,RF
185Joey GalloNYYDH,LF,RF
186Adam WainwrightSTLSP
187Chris TaylorLAD2B,3B,SS,LF,CF,RF
188Hunter RenfroeMILCF,RF
189Giovanny GallegosSTLRP
190Triston McKenzieCLESP
191Jack FlahertySTLSP
192Myles StrawCLECF
193Michael BrantleyHOULF,RF,DH
194Jeff McNeilNYM2B,LF
195Spencer StriderATLRP,SP
196Jorge SolerMIADH,LF,RF
197Anthony SantanderBALDH,LF,RF
198Mitch HanigerSEARF,DH
199Josh NaylorCLE1B,DH,RF
200Christopher MorelCHC2B,3B,CF
201Cristian JavierHOUSP,RP
202Scott BarlowKCRP
203Ian AndersonATLSP
204Hunter GreeneCINSP
205Brandon DruryCIN2B,3B,DH,LF,RF
206Yuli GurrielHOU1B
207Dylan CarlsonSTLLF,CF,RF
208Gavin LuxLAD2B,SS,LF,CF
209Luke VoitSD1B,DH
210Jesus AguilarMIA1B,DH
211Tyler AndersonLADSP
212Alek ThomasARICF
213Chris SaleBOSSP
214Travis d'ArnaudATLC
215Nick PivettaBOSSP
216Tanner HouckBOSSP,RP
217Mark CanhaNYMLF,CF,RF
218Mike YastrzemskiSFCF,RF
219Christian WalkerARI1B
220Steven KwanCLECF,LF,RF
221Rowdy TellezMIL1B,DH
222Brandon NimmoNYMLF,CF
223Clay HolmesNYYRP
224Joe BarlowTEXRP
225Jorge LopezBALSP,RP
226Eduardo RodriguezDETSP
227Luis ArraezMIN1B,2B,3B,DH,LF
228Brandon BeltSF1B,DH
229Trent GrishamSDCF
230Luis UriasMIL2B,3B,SS
231Daniel BardCOLRP
232Mark MelanconARIRP
233Jose UrquidyHOUSP
234Ryan HelsleySTLRP
235Austin MeadowsDETDH,LF,RF
236Josh RojasARI2B,3B,SS,LF,RF
237Marcus StromanCHCSP
238Keibert RuizWSHC
239Max KeplerMINCF,RF
240Eugenio SuarezSEA3B,DH,SS
241MJ MelendezKCC,DH,RF
242Harrison BaderSTLCF
243Edward OlivaresKCLF,RF
244Jesus SanchezMIACF,LF,RF
245Freddy PeraltaMILSP
246Corey KluberTBSP
247Jon BertiMIA2B,3B,SS
248Riley GreeneDETCF
249Yusei KikuchiTORSP
250Jonathan SchoopDET1B,2B,DH
251Jurickson ProfarSD1B,2B,LF,CF,RF
252German MarquezCOLSP
253Ranger SuarezPHISP,RP
254George KirbySEASP
255Jhoan DuranMINRP,SP
256Yoan MoncadaCWS3B
257Steven MatzSTLSP
258Tanner RaineyWSHRP
259Eric HosmerSD1B
260Joc PedersonSFCF,DH,LF,RF
261Vinnie PasquantinoKC1B
262Eric LauerMILSP
263Michael Harris IIATLCF
264Mitch GarverTEXC,DH
265Adley RutschmanBALC
266Alec BohmPHI3B
267Tanner ScottMIARP
268Drew RasmussenTBSP,RP
269Paul SewaldSEARP
270Ozzie AlbiesATL2B
271Garrett CooperMIA1B,DH,RF
272Anthony DeSclafaniSFSP
273Noah SyndergaardLAASP
274Adam DuvallATLLF,CF,RF
275Frank SchwindelCHC1B,DH
276Alex KirilloffMIN1B,LF,RF
277Christian VazquezBOSC
278Devin WilliamsMILRP
279Seranthony DominguezPHIRP
280Salvador PerezKCC,DH
281Miles MikolasSTLSP
282Oscar GonzalezCLERF
283Spencer TorkelsonDET1B,3B
284Tyler StephensonCINC,1B
285Tylor MegillNYMSP
286Walker BuehlerLADSP
287Robbie GrossmanDETLF,RF
288Yandy DiazTB1B,3B
289Merrill KellyARISP
290J.P. CrawfordSEASS
291Tyler NaquinCINCF,DH,LF,RF
292Aaron CivaleCLESP
293Josiah GrayWSHSP
294Cesar HernandezWSH2B
295Kyle GibsonPHISP
296Patrick WisdomCHC1B,3B,LF
297Eddie RosarioATLLF,RF
298Andrew HeaneyLADSP,RP
299Bailey OberMINSP
300Paul BlackburnOAKSP
301Brandon CrawfordSFSS
302Nolan GormanSTL2B,3B,DH
303Andrew McCutchenMILDH,LF,RF
304Juan YepezSTL1B,3B,DH,LF,RF
305Santiago EspinalTOR2B,3B
306Lou TrivinoOAKRP
307Martin PerezTEXSP,RP
308Josh StaumontKCRP
309David PeraltaARILF
310Owen MillerCLE1B,2B,DH
311Corey KnebelPHISP,RP
312Kike HernandezBOS2B,CF
313Zach EflinPHISP
314Jeffrey SpringsTBRP,SP
315Garrett WhitlockBOSRP,SP
316Aaron AshbyMILSP,RP
317Brandon MarshLAACF,LF
318Jake BurgerCWS3B
319Yasmani GrandalCWS1B,C,DH
320Isiah Kiner-FalefaNYYSS
321Gary SanchezMINC,DH
322Seth BrownOAK1B,LF,RF
323Adam FrazierSEA2B,LF,RF
324Eduardo EscobarNYM1B,2B,3B
325Gio UrshelaMIN3B,SS
326Nico HoernerCHC2B,SS
327Sean MurphyOAKC,DH
328Miguel RojasMIASS
329Joey WendleMIA2B,3B,SS
330William ContrerasATLC,DH
331Jake McGeeSFRP
332Bobby DalbecBOS1B,3B
333Jason AdamTBRP
334Michael KingNYYSP,RP
335Brendan DonovanSTL1B,2B,3B,LF,RF,SS
336Jarren DuranBOSCF
337Will SmithATLRP
338Nicky LopezKC2B,3B,SS
339Kyle FarmerCIN3B,SS
340Colin PocheTBRP
341Lane ThomasWSHLF,CF,RF
342JT BrubakerPITSP
343Mike MinorCINSP
344Zach PlesacCLESP
345Brady SingerKCSP
346Jo AdellLAALF,RF
347Jonah HeimTEXC
348Diego CastilloSEARP
349Wilmer FloresSF1B,2B,3B,DH
350Roansy ContrerasPITSP
351Dany JimenezOAKRP
352Cal QuantrillCLESP,RP
353Jeimer CandelarioDET3B
354Dane DunningTEXSP
355Christian BethancourtOAK1B,C,DH
356Kendall GravemanCWSRP
357Kyle HendricksCHCSP
358Rafael MonteroHOURP
359Matt StrahmBOSRP
360Lance McCullers Jr.HOUSP
361Emilio PaganMINRP
362Thairo EstradaSF2B,SS
363Jose IglesiasCOL2B,SS
364Nick SenzelCIN2B,CF
365Ross StriplingTORSP,RP
366Jose QuintanaPITSP,RP
367Stephen StrasburgWSHSP
368Jesus LuzardoMIASP,RP
369Andres MunozSEARP
370Anthony GoseCLERP
371Anthony BenderMIARP
372Luis GarciaWSH2B,SS
373Jalen BeeksTBRP,SP
374Patrick CorbinWSHSP
375Michael WachaBOSSP,RP
376LaMonte Wade Jr.SF1B,LF,RF
377Danny JansenTORC
378Zack GreinkeKCSP
379Cavan BiggioTOR1B,2B,3B,RF
380Cody MorrisCLESP
381Raimel TapiaTORCF,LF,RF
382Seth LugoNYMRP
383Caleb ThielbarMINRP
384Reynaldo LopezCWSSP,RP
385Jarred KelenicSEACF,LF,RF
386John SchreiberBOSRP
387Gabriel MorenoTORC
388Kyle LewisSEACF
389Ji-Man ChoiTB1B
390Rafael OrtegaCHCCF,DH,LF,RF
391Matt BarnesBOSRP
392Felix BautistaBALRP
393Sam LongSFSP,RP
394Kole CalhounTEXLF,RF
395Madison BumgarnerARISP
396Evan LongoriaSF3B,DH
397Dylan BundyMINSP
398Dakota HudsonSTLSP
399A.J. PukOAKRP
400Yerry De Los SantosPITRP
401Sam HentgesCLESP,RP
402Didi GregoriusPHISS
403Ryne StanekHOURP
404Rowan WickCHCRP
405Omar NarvaezMILC
406Josh LoweTBCF,DH,LF,RF
407Brian AndersonMIA3B,LF,RF
408Nick LodoloCINSP
409Keegan ThompsonCHCSP,RP
410Hector NerisHOURP
411Miguel CabreraDET1B,DH
412Keegan AkinBALSP,RP
413A.J. MinterATLRP
414Drew SteckenriderSEARP
415Taijuan WalkerNYMSP
416Wil CrowePITRP,SP
417Reid DetmersLAASP
418Brooks RaleyTBRP
419Edward CabreraMIASP
420Bryson StottPHI2B,SS
421Joe MantiplyARIRP
422Tyler WellsBALRP,SP
423Lucas SimsCINRP
424Jose MirandaMIN1B,3B
425Brock BurkeTEXRP,SP
426Jorge AlfaroSDC,DH,LF
427Evan PhillipsLADRP
428Jack SuwinskiPITCF,LF,RF
429Chris StrattonPITRP
430Thomas HatchTORP,SP
431Odubel HerreraPHICF,LF,RF
432Glenn OttoTEXSP
433Collin McHughATLSP,RP
434Ian KennedyARIRP
435Marco GonzalesSEASP
436Brad HandPHIRP
437Hunter StricklandCINRP
438Graham AshcraftCINSP
439Joe KellyCWSRP
440Isaac ParedesTB1B,2B,3B
441Chris FlexenSEASP
442Hansel RoblesBOSRP
443Seth BeerARI1B,DH
444Jace PetersonMIL1B,2B,3B,LF,RF
445Dylan ColemanKCRP
446Jonathan LoaisigaNYYRP
447Tyrone TaylorMILLF,CF,RF
448Adam CimberTORRP
449Adrian HouserMILSP
450Chad KuhlCOLSP,RP
451Hunter DozierKC1B,3B,DH,LF,RF
Fantrax was one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites over the last few years, and we’re not stopping now. We are the most customizable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich platform in the industry, offering the greatest fantasy experience for your dynasty, keeper, redraft, and best ball leagues. Fantasy sports doesn’t sleep, and neither does Fantrax, with seasons running 365 days a year. Take your fantasy leagues to the next level now at Fantrax.com!
Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.