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President of baseball operations Chris Young and the Rangers knew exactly what they were getting when they signed catcher Kyle Higashioka to a two-year $13,5 million contract this past winter.

They knew that Higashioka was particularly adept at forming relationships with the pitchers he caught and calling smart games. Since his rookie year in 2017, “Higgy” has been one of the best callers of games behind the plate with the Yankees in the Bronx for seven seasons and the Padres last year.

Kyle Higashioka has the second-best games caught ERA in the league

Behind only the Kansas City Royals backstop Freddy Fermin, Higgy has the second-best games caught ERA throughout Major League Baseball.

Whenever Higashioka is behind the plate, the Rangers pitching staff has a 2.69 ERA, nearly a full run lower than the 3.55 ERA they post with Jonah Heim, another strong defensive catcher.

The Rangers’ pitchers have been outstanding, hitting their spots this season, and that is a huge part of that number. Nonetheless, they also need to have faith in Higashioka to make the right call behind the plate and to be a plus-defender on balls in the dirt and throwing out baserunners.

Whatever Higgy gives to the Rangers offensively is a bonus

A catcher who calls good games and is dependable with the entire staff is more important than a catcher who can hit but is poor in the other aspects of the position.

So far this season, Higgy has been average at the plate, hitting .231 with one homer and 16 RBIs in a backup role. The Rangers and Bruce Bochy will gladly take his command and rapport with the pitching staff over big numbers with the bat.

Higgy’s ability to adapt to a bevy of hurlers on the fly is an often-overlooked quality in a major league catcher, and he is one of the best.