The New York Yankees have exceptional talent at their starting position across the board, but their depth is where things get a little rocky. If 2019 taught us any lessons, it’s that depth is the most crucial aspect of any given team.
Manager Aaron Boone supplemented several starting-level players with reserve options and still helped the team to 103 wins on the year. One of the players that spent time on the injured list, Gary Sanchez, has struggled with damages throughout his career.
Moving forward, the Yankees must have a reliable backup catcher due to Sanchez’s lack of reliability in the health department. Still, hopefully, new strength and conditioning coach, Eric Cressey, can help alleviate some of the concerns over his thing ailment.
As for the reserve catcher position, MLB Insider, Brian Hoch, expressed his confidence in Kyle Higashioka being their guy:
Q: Who do you envision as the backup to Gary Sánchez?
— Michael P., Sioux Falls, S.D.
A: Kyle Higashioka seems to have the inside track, especially considering that he is out of Minor League options. The Yanks’ pitchers have raved about Higashioka for some time, and there are analytics that suggest he could be a defensive upgrade over Austin Romine. The other contenders include Chris Iannetta, Erik Kratz and Josh Thole.
The Yankees also signed Chris Iannetta, Erik Kratz, and Josh Thole. All three of those options are minor-league players who aren’t considered starters at the MLB-level, which presents the Yanks will a problem after Higashioka, who hasn’t shown any offensive consistency.
While Higgy is a solid defensive catcher, he posted a .214 batting average with three homers over 18 games last season. Relying on him to compensate for any lost time due to Sanchez’s inevitable injury could be problematic. However, the team has plenty of fire-power to hold the club above water for the entirety of the season. Again, it’s important to mention that the Yankees, who won 103 games last year, only got better this offseason with the signing of Gerrit Cole.
Fantastic starting pitching should give the Bombers all the help they need to win low-scoring games. With the unbelievable amount of power surging through the hitting order, Higashioka’s lack of offensive prowess won’t be detrimental.