How Good is Kyle Higashioka?

Kyle Higashioka is a professional baseball player who has spent his entire career with the New York Yankees organization. He is primarily a catcher and has played in parts of six Major League seasons with the Yankees.

While Higashioka has not been an everyday player for the team, his performance in the limited playing time he has received has generated some buzz among fans and analysts.

In particular, his ability to hit for power has caught the attention of many, with his barrel rate in 2021 placing him in the top 30 among all hitters in the league.

In this blog post, we will explore just how good Kyle Higashioka is, looking at his hitting ability, other factors that contribute to a player’s overall skill level, and the potential impact of sample size on evaluating a player’s performance.

Higashioka’s Hitting Ability

Barrel rate is a statistic that measures the frequency with which a batter makes solid contact with the ball. It is calculated by dividing the number of batted balls hit with the optimal combination of exit velocity and launch angle by the total number of batted balls.

This statistic is important because it provides insight into a batter’s ability to hit for power and generate extra-base hits.

In 2021, the league average barrel rate was 8.3%. Higashioka’s barrel rate of 15.6% was significantly higher than the league average, indicating that he was making solid contact with the ball at a much higher rate than most hitters.

When comparing Higashioka’s barrel rate to other notable hitters in the league, he ranks very favorably. In fact, his barrel rate of 15.6% places him in the top 30 among all hitters in the league.

Higashioka’s barrel rate puts him in the same company as prolific sluggers such as Giancarlo Stanton and George Springer, which is a strong indication of his ability to hit for power.

While barrel rate is an important indicator of hitting ability, it is not the only factor that should be considered when evaluating a player’s overall hitting skill.

For example, a player’s ability to get on base, hit for average, and drive in runs are also important factors to consider. In Higashioka’s case, his career batting average is .180, which is below the league average.

However, he has shown a propensity for hitting home runs, as evidenced by his eight home runs in just 80 plate appearances in 2021.

Additionally, he has drawn walks at a slightly higher rate than the league average. Taking all of these factors into account, Higashioka’s overall hitting ability appears to be solid, albeit with some limitations.

Other Factors to Consider

In addition to hitting ability, there are several other factors that contribute to a player’s overall skill level. For example, a player’s ability to get on base, play defense, and consistently perform at a high level are all important factors to consider.

When it comes to getting on base, Higashioka’s career on-base percentage is .246, which is below the league average. However, as previously mentioned, he has shown an ability to draw walks at a slightly higher rate than the league average.

Additionally, his power potential means that even if he does not get on base at a high rate, he still has the ability to impact the game with his bat.

Defensively, Higashioka is regarded as a strong catcher. He has a career caught stealing percentage of 33.7%, which is well above the league average.

He is also known for his pitch framing skills, which can have a significant impact on a team’s success. Overall, Higashioka’s defensive skills are a strong asset to the Yankees.

One potential concern with Higashioka’s performance is his consistency. As mentioned earlier, he has not been an everyday player for the Yankees, and his limited sample size of plate appearances in 2021 makes it difficult to evaluate his ability to perform at a high level over the course of a full season.

Additionally, while he showed a strong ability to hit for power in 2021, there is always the possibility that his performance could regress over a larger sample size.

Therefore, it will be important for Higashioka to continue to perform consistently if he wants to establish himself as a reliable contributor to the Yankees.

Sample Size Considerations

Small sample sizes can be a major issue when it comes to evaluating a player’s skill level. When a player has a limited number of plate appearances, there is a higher degree of statistical noise, which can make it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions about their performance.

As a result, it is important to be cautious when making evaluations based on small sample sizes.

In 2021, Higashioka had just 80 plate appearances, which is a relatively small sample size. However, he made the most of his limited opportunities, hitting eight home runs and posting a barrel rate of 15.6%, which was among the highest in the league.

While it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions based on such a small sample size, these numbers are certainly impressive and suggest that Higashioka has the potential to be a strong contributor to the Yankees.

The potential for Higashioka’s performance to regress or improve over a larger sample size is a key consideration.

While his 2021 performance was impressive, it is possible that his barrel rate could regress towards the league average, or that he could struggle to hit for power over a larger sample size.

Alternatively, he could continue to perform at a high level and establish himself as a reliable contributor to the Yankees over the course of a full season.

Ultimately, only time will tell how Higashioka’s performance will hold up over a larger sample size, but his strong showing in 2021 suggests that he has the potential to be a valuable asset to the team.

Kyle Higashioka’s 2021 Hitting Stats

Conclusion

Kyle Higashioka is a talented player who has shown the ability to hit for power and play strong defense.

While his sample size of plate appearances in 2021 was relatively small, his impressive performance in that limited time suggests that he has the potential to be a valuable contributor to the Yankees.

However, it is important to remember that small sample sizes can be deceptive, and it will be important for Higashioka to continue to perform consistently over a larger sample size in order to establish himself as a reliable contributor to the team.

Overall, while there are still some question marks surrounding Higashioka’s long-term potential, his strong showing in 2021 suggests that he could be a valuable asset to the Yankees both now and in the future.