New York Yankees: The Most Valuable Position Player on the roster

The New York Yankees‘ struggles this year have been a surprise. They had been expected to not only compete for the AL East title, but to also be a possible World Series contender. Instead, they entered Friday’s action with a 7-11 record, dead last in the AL East.

While the hope is that the Yankees will rebound, they will need to see a drastic improvement from virtually every area of their roster. Their lineup, in particular, has been disappointing, as evidenced by their lineup’s leader in bWAR.

New York Yankees most valuable hitter is a backup

Yes, that is Kyle Higashioka sitting behind Gerrit Cole as the second most valuable member of the Yankees this year. That’s right – the Yankees’ backup catcher has been their second most valuable player, posting a 0.6 bWAR to lead anyone that has made an appearance as a position player.

To be fair to Higashioka, he has appeared in half of the Yankees’ games this season. And he has fared well when he has played, posting a .353/.476/1.000 batting line with three homers in his 21 plate appearances. He ranks second on the team in homers, is tied for third in doubles, and tied for fourth in RBI. That is quite impressive for his limited playing time.

It would also be fair to say that this is Higashioka’s best run of his time in the majors. He has posted 0.7 bWAR over his five years in the majors, with 0.6 of that coming this year. Given his success, it is not a surprise that there have been calls for him to take over as the Yankees’ starting catcher.

But there is a reason why he is a backup. He has posted a career .199/.244/.431 batting line in his 225 plate appearances, hitting 13 homers and ten doubles. However, he has just 12 walks and 62 strikeouts in that time. At 31 years old, it is difficult to imagine that he has suddenly become a weapon in the lineup.

Chances are, Higashioka will fade back to his usual levels. He may be a solid backup catcher, but the more he plays, the more the holes in his swing will be exposed. While he may be the Yankees’ most productive position player at this point, that would not be the case if he becomes the starter. At least the Yankees would have to hope he is not.

Kyle Higashioka is currently the most valuable position player on the New York Yankees. That just shows the current state of the roster at this point in the season.