Milwaukee — The main relationship between Alexandre and the Blue Jays' catching phenom is the man who throws every five days. .. I'm wondering what a 23 year old kid is doing on the plate.
But as a man studying the batter for the best, just for the kick, what is Manoa sometimes attacking his sweet swing? A teammate's fire hydrant that inspires him about what he is doing.
"He's pretty hard to pitch," said Manoa, who had the opportunity during a live batting practice session during spring training. "Needless to say, I don't understand that, but I don't think it's in the league either."
No, it's not.
The injured hand is terrible, Kirk returned to the Jaze lineup at the American Family Field on Saturday and hit home runs for three consecutive games.
On Friday, the rocket he hit in the seventh inning was a line drive rope that had just cleared the wall with his left fielder. It was one of the 4 to 4 night knocks he did twice this month.
The 23-year-old from Tijuana, Mexico, is the game's most popular catcher and not just an American League rock starter in next month's All-Star game. He is currently one of the hottest hitters in the game.
And this is crazy. With a lineup of VladGuerrero Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, George Springer and Bo Bichette, Kirk has become a must-see hitter when it comes to the plate.
Shy in nature, but even his teammates need to panic him to dig up a smile. Kirk is in perspective, but he clearly enjoys the ride quality.
"I feel good," said the 5'8, 265-pound backstop. "I just don't want to lose track of (what I'm doing). I don't care about my personal number and I want to stay focused. I just want to go there and earn it ... the team Keep helping and find a way to finally get into the playoffs. "
When he arrives at Dodger Stadium for an all-star game, the wider world of baseball watching So far, you'll be catching up with one of the most fascinating acts in the game.
And he is starting to turn his head.
Entering Saturday play, Kirk led all qualified MLB catchers with batting average (.321) with on-base percentage (.406) and slugging percentage (.513). He is the second highest in baseball overall.
Instead, how do young players with a well-defined physique regularly listen to the best pitchers in the game?
"That's his approach," said Jaze's manager Charlie Montoyo. "How do you sell to him? He can hit the ball inside. He doesn't chase the bad pitch. He's always out of numbers. He can go the other way.
"He's doing what he needs to be one of the best hitters in baseball. He doesn't chase, and if you don't chase, you pitch You'll hit, and when he hits the pitch, he won't miss them. "
If it sounds simple enough, it's not. Kirk's teammates have been amazed at him since he first appeared at Dunedin's Big League training camp in 2020.
Kirk won the usual rib share because he didn't look like a typical big league ball player in particular. However, it didn't take long for the chatter to focus on what he could do with the bat in his hand.
Of course, he is as popular as this teammate.
On Friday, he signed the signature of fellow catcher Danny Jansen's nephew and wore a Brewers T-shirt and Jaze's ball cap.
"That's what you really have to thank," Kirk says about how his fellow Jays embraced both his presence and his success. I did. "But even if I wasn't doing well, they were always like that with me. I'm really grateful with all my teammates."
That worship has been built for some time. It's been, but it's certainly blossomed further since the first round of All-Star Game Voting last week revealed that Kirk had a bulge of nearly 700,000 votes at his closest one. AL rivals have begun to catch the gig.
And, as a signal, he added a third to the Brew Crew on Friday night after starting a home run in a series of games against the White Sox.
"Unbelievable", Manoa helped the Kirk phenomenon. "He comes every day, works hard and bows. He never grows too big or falls too much. He is very consistent every day.
"It's definitely not a surprise to us. I love seeing him succeed. He's a great teammate and he gives us everything every time he's there."
But what about its rarely swaying personality?
"He's as calm and cool as possible," Manoa said. "I'm poking a bear and trying to smile. He's pretty cool."
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