Backup catchers come, and backup catchers go. The Yankees have a pretty solid one on their hands. Kyle Higashioka isn’t anything special as far as baseball ability goes, although a a wRC+ around 80 or so with solid defense behind the plate is more than enough to keep a backup catcher’s career alive for more than a couple years. A receiver’s value is often held as much in their knowledge of their pitchers and the game around them, though, and Higashioka has plenty of that to offer to the Yankees specifically, having recently taken Brett Gardner’s mantle as its longest-tenured player within the organization.
The fascinating connections of the longest-tenured Yankee
