Kyle Higashioka feels like he is getting back to his roots in 2021, and those roots are woven through the pages of one of baseball’s most revolutionary books written by one of the game’s greatest hitters.
Before being drafted by the Yankees in the seventh round of the 2008 draft, Higashioka clung to the ideals of the legendary Ted Williams, who discussed his approach at the plate in his book “Ted Williams: The Science of Hitting,” with philosophies widely considered to be far ahead of their time. In the book, Williams discussed the value of an uppercut swing to produce an optimal launch angle and give the hitter the best chance of barrelling a pitch.
“In high school, I read his book like 10 times probably,” Higashioka said. “That was my hitting Bible. Early in my career I kind of got away from it. What I was being taught earlier in my career was going slightly against that philosophy. As a young kid, you don’t want to tell professional coaches they’re wrong.”
It’s a small sample size of 29 plate appearances, but so far this season, Higashioka has flashed Williams-like numbers, slashing .320/.414/.880 with four home runs, including one on Tuesday night against the Orioles.
Higashioka was put in the starting lineup on Tuesday after Aaron Boone told reporters that the 31-year-old had earned more playing time over Gary Sanchez. Higashioka responded with his third multi-hit game of the season, with the Yankees winning all three of those games.
“I don’t really concern myself too much with who is going to play when,” Higashioka said. “I know if I’m paying my best baseball, more than likely I’ll find more playing time at some point. My main focus is just going out and playing my best every time.”
For Higashioka, a larger part of that main focus is now rooted on the offensive side of the ball, going back to the student he was in high school when he wore out the pages of “The Science of Hitting.” In his first three seasons at the major league level, Higashioka never posted an OPS above .675, as the regular backup kept his focus behind the plate and being as valuable as possible on the defensive side, as most backups are asked to do.
“Earlier in my career, I almost thought of game planning for the offensive side as an afterthought,” Higashioka said. “I’ve always been taught that you can save a lot more runs on defense than you can drive in at the plate. But honestly, it’s definitely worth the extra time spent studying. I think it’s been paying dividends. I’m going to keep doing it because it’s my job.
“Marcus [Thames] has been really big on making sure I put as much emphasis on studying the opposing pitchers as I do studying the opposing hitters, so that’s been a big key for me.”
Higashioka now finds himself tiptoeing that balance of working on offensive and defensive advancements, which catching coordinator Tanner Swanson said Sanchez struggled with during his brutal slump at the plate in 2020. It was that swoon that opened the door for Higashioka, who batted a career-best .250 last year, became ace Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher and eventually earned more playing time in the postseason. He clearly has carried that momentum into 2021 with a torrid start to the season, and it’s being rewarded with more playing time.
“I don’t really have much of an explanation,” Higashioka said of his offensive surge. “I just feel a little more comfortable after last year, kind of piggybacking on the success of last year at the plate, it just gives you more confidence, always making sure I’m prepared to face every pitcher in terms of video work and studying and all that stuff.”
Modern video technology has helped Higashioka become a better hitter worthy of a starting role, but perhaps the true source of his surge comes from the mind of a hitter who last stepped in the box more than 50 years ago, and getting back to Williams’ ground-breaking teachings.
“I’m not saying it’s anyone’s fault for me hitting badly,” Higashioka said. “It just makes so much sense from a science standpoint that to give yourself the greatest margin for error would be to match the plane of the pitch coming in. So to me, it makes too much sense.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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