Yankees Kyle Higashioka Getting Noticed in Trenton
One of the biggest surprises in the Yankees minor league system in 2016 has been the breakout performance of longtime MiLB backstop Kyle Higashioka.
Until this season, there has been nothing about Kyle Higashioka’s professional career that would make you think he’s destined for the big leagues. If his name is familiar to you, it’s probably because he’s one of the team of catchers that regularly make an appearance in Tampa each year during March to help the Yankees pitching staff get ready for the season.
Higashioka has received an invite to the Yankees major league spring training camp each of the last six years. Of course, one shouldn’t read too much into that, because he’s never had even the slightest chance of making the team in that time.
While he’s essentially been treated like a warm body to help handle the volume of pitchers preparing in spring training, that hasn’t stopped Kyle Higashioka from making an impression on many in the Yankees organization over the years.
Coaches and teammates alike rave about his work ethic and ability to handle a pitching staff. In his ninth professional season, he’s a calm and competent presence behind the plate each spring. Until now, he just hasn’t hit enough to be taken seriously as a prospect.
After spending the majority of his Yankees career backing up more highly regarded catching prospects, Kyle Higashioka entered 2016 with the opportunity to get regular at bats for Double-A Trenton. No one could have predicted he would respond by hitting .294/.348/.516 (137 wRC+) in 181 plate appearances with the Thunder to start the year, hitting a career-high eight home runs in just 45 games.
Even including his impressive 2016 numbers, Higashioka has hit just .245/.308/.386 in over 1800 minor league PAs. There were almost no signs of this breakout coming. When Yankees’ number three prospect Gary Sanchez hit the disabled list with a cracked thumb, Higashioka got the opportunity to prove himself at the minor leagues’ highest level.
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He responded by going 21-for-55 with six doubles and five home runs during a 13 game stint with Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. He drove in 17 runs and scored 13 in that time. While he was forced back to Trenton by Sanchez’s return, he has continued to rake and it seems like only a matter of time before he earns his way back.
For his part, Higashioka believes some offseason adjustments to his swing have led to his improved production. He told Chris Tripodi of MiLB.com,
"“This year I’m a little better at hitting off-speed pitches. It’s not so much me having to look for one pitch anymore just because I had some adjustments to my swing over the offseason that have allowed me to hit off-speed pitches much better. Just trying to consistently hit the ball hard and stay off the ground.”"
While he faces an uphill climb to the big leagues with
Brian McCann,
Austin Romine, and Gary Sanchez all ahead of him on the depth chart, you cannot hit like Higashioka has this season at not get noticed. He’s a little long in the tooth for a prospect at 26-years-old, but many catchers are late bloomers.
The Yankees face a decision regarding Higashioka’s future after the 2016 campaign, as he will be a minor league free agent following the season. Even if he resigns on a MiLB deal, he will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft, and seems like a good bet to be selected by another club if he keeps hitting. Do the Yankees believe in his breakout enough to add him to the 40-man roster following the season? Time will tell.
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There is still plenty of time for Higashioka to carve out a niche for himself as a backup catcher (or even a starter) in the major leagues. Pirates GM Neal Huntington has always loved Yankees catchers. If I were Higashioka, I would be emailing him my resume.