Kyle Higashioka latest in a line of catchers to arrive in San Diego as a fill-in and contribute in a big way
Kyle Higashioka hits a grand slam against the Nationals on June 26 at Petco Park. ARLINGTON, Texas — There was Jorge Alfaro, who had long, wavy hair, a penchant for walk-offs and a potty mouth that spawned a T-shirt-ready rally cry in 2022.
For a team that has been so overtly searching for an impact catcher for years, the Padres sure have been on quite a run of catchers who are highly impactful for a time.The 25-year-old Campusano, the Padres’ second selection in the 2017 draft, was seen as a sort of placeholder with impact potential. He hit .341 with a .910 OPS over his final 39 games last season and was batting .275 with a .741 OPS through 39 games this season.
When Campusano returns, a move that is expected to happen Friday, the split will be closer to 50-50 than what it was early in the season.“It keeps both guys fresh,” Higashioka said. “It’s definitely difficult to be an everyday catcher in today’s game. You don’t see it that much. There’s not a ton of guys who can also justify it. It’s just, catching is a very tough position.”The Padres believe they have found a catcher who can work 120 or more games a year behind the plate.
Philadelphia’s J.T. Realmuto has started 130 games in three of the past five full seasons. He is the only catcher to have started at least 80 percent of his team’s games in a 162-game season since 2018. There have been 18 other instances of a catcher starting 70 percent of his team’s games and a total of 65 instances of catchers starting 60 percent of their team’s games in one of those five seasons.
Higashioka, who turned 34 in April, started 72 games last season, 71 in 2022 and 58 in ‘21. He hit 10 home runs in each of those seasons. He is one shy of that total in 2024.
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