{"id":89262,"date":"2024-11-09T21:01:53","date_gmt":"2024-11-10T02:01:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=89262"},"modified":"2024-11-09T21:01:53","modified_gmt":"2024-11-10T02:01:53","slug":"breakout-catcher-offseason-higashioka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/11\/09\/breakout-catcher-offseason-higashioka\/","title":{"rendered":"Breakout Catcher Could Be Valuable Offseason Signing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With free agency underway, plenty of notable names are looking for a new home. The San Diego Padres\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/higasky01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-11-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Higashioka<\/a> is one of them. San Diego must decide whether to bring the 34-year-old backstop back, and at what price. If he finds a new team this offseason, he will be an under-the-radar signing that could bolster catcher-needy teams.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Breakout Catcher Could Be Valuable Offseason Signing<\/h2>\n<h3>Kyle Higashioka Could Be Valuable Signing This Offseason<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Higashioka was initially expected to serve as a backup to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/campulu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-11-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luis Campusano<\/a>, a former top prospect for the Padres, who had finally been given a chance to start after years of waiting in the wings. But Campusano\u2019s midseason injury and ongoing <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/09\/09\/padres-should-move-on-luis-campusano\/\" target=\"_self\">developmental struggles<\/a> created an opening, and Higashioka seized the opportunity. Despite a slow start, his offensive numbers in 2024 marked a career-best season: a .220\/.263\/.476 slash line, with 17 home runs, 45 RBIs, and a .739 OPS. While those numbers may not jump off the page, they represented a significant step forward for the former New York Yankee.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">LET&#8217;S GET HIGGY WITH IT \ud83d\udca5 <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/POSTSEASON?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#POSTSEASON<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2ZT86j51rN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/2ZT86j51rN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 MLB (@MLB) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLB\/status\/1841307189790589220?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite his offensive success, Higashioka\u2019s defensive metrics left room for improvement. According to Baseball Savant, he ranked 60th in Blocks Above Average (-8), 74th in Pop Time (2.02), and 46th in Caught Stealing Above Average (-2). These numbers indicate that while he provided a much-needed boost at the plate, his work behind it was less reliable. Even so, his durability and flashes of offensive brilliance make him an intriguing option for catcher-needy teams looking for a short-term solution.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Market Value<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a thin market for catchers, Higashioka&#8217;s value may be higher than expected. Other available options include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sanchga02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-11-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gary S\u00e1nchez<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/j\/janseda01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-11-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Danny Jansen<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=kellyca02,kelly-005car,kelly-004car&amp;search=Carson+Kelly&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-11-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carson Kelly<\/a>, and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/darnatr01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Travis d\u2019Arnaud<\/a>, who recently entered free agency after the Atlanta Braves <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/11\/04\/braves-all-star-exercises-club-option-becoming-free-agent\/\" target=\"_self\">declined his option<\/a>. Most of these players are in their early to mid-30s, so Higashioka\u2019s age may not be a significant detractor in comparison. Spotrac projects his market value at around $1.6 million for a one-year deal, comparable to deals signed by players like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hechaad01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-11-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adeiny Hechavarria<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sosaed01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-11-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Edmundo Sosa<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/cervefr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-11-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Francisco Cervelli<\/a> at a similar stage in their careers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Potential Landing Spots<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the Padres and Higashioka part ways, several teams could show interest. The Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Atlanta Braves are potential suitors. Each team could benefit from taking a chance on a veteran like Higashioka, especially after a productive season. However, playing time is another important factor to keep in mind. Higashioka would likely prefer a team where he can be the starting catcher and continue the momentum from his most productive campaign in the majors.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>&#8220;Higgy&#8221; Staying In San Diego?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most logical fit is still with the Padres. There is mutual interest in a return, especially given his chemistry with the pitching staff and his 2024 resurgence. For a team that has struggled with continuity at catcher, bringing back Higashioka could provide stability while Campusano continues to develop.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Padres may find themselves with little choice but to re-sign him. A revolving door at catcher is not ideal, and retaining Higashioka might be their best bet to maintain consistency and carry forward the momentum from his strong 2024 season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credits: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With free agency underway, plenty of notable names are looking for a new home. The San Diego Padres\u2019 Kyle Higashioka is one of them. San Diego must decide whether to bring the 34-year-old backstop back, and at what price. If he finds a new team this offseason, he will be an under-the-radar signing that could [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5263,"featured_media":89280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30,1071],"tags":[40,1646,93,686],"class_list":["post-89262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-padres","category-mlb","tag-gary-sanchez","tag-mlb-offseason","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-travis-darnaud"],"modified_by":"Evan Mazza, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5263"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89262\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}