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WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jonathan Aranda received a text in Spanish late in the morning. It contained a mysterious request: “Let me know if you hear about the All-Star team.”
The message came from deep within the Toronto Blue Jays’ clubhouse. Nestled in a hitters’ meeting filled with iPads and advanced reports on July 6, Alejandro Kirk found out he was returning to the midsummer classic. The catcher’s teammates exploded in the room as manager John Schneider broke the news. It’s the first All-Star Game he could attend with his 2-year-old daughter, Emilia, Kirk thought.
Then his mind drifted to a long-time friend and Tampa Bay Rays infielder. When the meeting ended, Kirk reached for his phone to text Aranda.
The two Tijuana natives began playing together when they were 4 years old, starting in Little League and travelling to national showcase games together before splitting off to sign with different franchises in the American League East. They see each other every winter and meet on the field as divisional opponents. But when Aranda found out he was selected for the AL All-Star team, a true reunion was set.
“I can’t believe this,” Kirk said through Blue Jays interpreter Hector Lebron. “Thinking about two little kids that have known each other for such a long time, played little leagues together, signed pro, made it to the big leagues, and now going to an All-Star Game together. It’s just unbelievable.”
Neither can recall first playing together — Kirk and Aranda swung the same bats and manned the same field for as long as they can remember. They were drawn together by family, with older brothers playing as teammates before them. Kirk’s father, Juan Manuel, was the Little League team’s manager — the caring skipper full of motivational speeches. When Aranda’s parents couldn’t accompany their son to a national tournament, Juan Manuel looked after him. Aranda’s father was a coach on his staff, too. He brought tough love, Aranda said.
Jonathan Aranda and Alejandro Kirk catch up before a game on Sept. 29, 2023. (Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)
The infielders played together for 12 years and still meet each day in the offseason. They work out at the same gym in Tijuana, run through drills on a field and their families unite for dinner at least once a week. If needed, they find an excuse to throw a party. They’re also the godfathers of each other’s daughters.
“Above the baseball, that family connection was really what made this all happen,” Aranda said through interpreter Melissa Rodriguez Strozza. “So I know it’s going to be special for the families to share in this moment together.”
Kirk is the picture of tranquility when he steps into the box for a ninth-inning at-bat. In the dugout between innings, he’s an unbothered stoic. A smile is rare, a laugh unheard of. But thinking back to the All-Star showcase games Kirk and Aranda played throughout Mexico as kids, the Toronto catcher cracked a wide grin and chuckled.
The pair were always the best hitters on their team, but the showcase events featured more tailored competitions. They often earned medals. Aranda starred in the baserunning drills while Kirk kept to the home run derbies.
“Obviously, he was faster than I was,” Kirk said with a toothy smile.
Neither Kirk nor Aranda walked obvious paths to the big leagues. Big-league clubs didn’t truly notice either player until scouts came to town intending to watch other players. In an era when top international prospects earn million-dollar bonuses, Aranda signed for $130,000, and Kirk received $30,000. Neither jumped up prospect rankings until deep into their minor-league careers. Neither imagined they would one day be MLB All-Stars.
When Aranda found out he’d made the AL team, the Rays infielder shot Kirk an immediate text: “We’re going to share a field together.” It’s normal, in a way — they played together every week for over a decade. They run infield drills every winter. But they never dreamed of sharing a clubhouse during the Midsummer Classic.
“I think when we were little,” Aranda said. “I don’t think that we could have imagined this. I don’t know that we did.”
(Top photo of Jonathan Aranda, left, and Alejandro Kirk, centre: Jessica Ventura)
