Kyle is an American-born professional baseball catcher playing for the New York Yankees of the MLB. Before his professional league debut, Higashioka played college baseball for the California Golden Bears. However, his stay at the University of California, Berkeley, was brief.
Quick Facts
Full Name | Kyle Harris Higashioka |
Known as | Kyle Higashioka |
Birth Date | April 20, 1990 |
Birth Place | Huntington Beach, California |
Nick Name | Higgy |
Religion | Christianity |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | Japanese American |
Education | •Edison High School (Huntington Beach, California)• the University of California, Berkeley (United States) •Orange Coast College (Costa Mesa, California) |
Zodiac sign | Taurus |
Father’s Name | Ted Higashioka |
Mother’s Name | Diane Higashioka |
Siblings | A brother |
Age | 32 Years Old |
Height | 1.85 m (6 feet 1 inch) |
Weight | 91 kg (202 lb) |
MLB debut | April 10, 2017 |
Hair Color | Black |
Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Playstyle | Bats: Right, Throws: Right |
Build | Athlete |
Marital Status | Married |
Wife’s Name | Alyse Higashioka |
Kids | None |
Position | Catcher |
Profession | Baseball Player |
Net Worth | $6 million |
Salary | $935,000 |
Currently Plays for | New York Yankees |
League | Major League Baseball (MLB) |
Active Since | 2017 |
Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
Merch | Baseball Trading Card |
Last Update | August 2022 |
Kyle Higashioka Contract, Salary, and Net Worth
Kyle Higashioka is a catcher for the Yankees have the net worth is $ million as of 2022.
After being selected by the New York Yankees in the 2008 MLB draft, Kyle had already signed a contract with them. Kyle got a signing bonus of $500k in 2008, despite the fact that he didn’t participate in any significant matches until 2017.
Following that signing, Kyle played for about 10 years in the lower levels for several clubs, making an average of just $15k annually while doing so. Finally, he agreed to a new one-year deal with the Yankees in 2017 for $535,000.
The athlete has already earned more than $3 million in his MLB career. Additionally, his base pay in 2022 is $935,000 per year.
Estimated career earnings of Kyle:
YEAR | TEAM | EARNINGs |
2008 | New York Yankees | $500,000 |
2017 | New York Yankees | $535,000 |
2018 | New York Yankees | $272,490 |
2019 | New York Yankees | $154,326 |
2020 | New York Yankees | $214,519 |
2021 | New York Yankees | $594,000 |
Total Earnings | $2,270,335 |
Early Life, Parents, & Education of Kyle Higashioka
Kyle Harris Higashioka, also known as Kyle Higashioka, was born in Huntington Beach, California, on April 20, 1990. Ted and Diane Higashioka, his parents, raised him as their eldest child.
Additionally, he is quite close to his younger brother who lives in the family.
Kyle is a fourth-generation Japanese-American who was born and raised in Huntington Beach and now resides in California. Before the Second World War, the great-grandfather of Higashioka and his family had immigrated to the USA.
His grandfather Shigeru Higashioka served in the American Army during World War II and received a Bronze Star for his efforts.
During his early years, Ted’s father resided in Japan for a number of years because his family later settled there. Shigeru had moved his family back to Japan when he was working there as an executive for an energy firm.
Ted returned to the United States after a number of years and resided in Huntington Beach. He felt no need to speak Japanese after he got back because their neighborhood didn’t have many Japanese neighbors.
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Where did kyle got his Education ?
Kyle attended Edison High School in Huntington Beach while growing up in California with his younger brother. He enrolled in the University of California, Berkeley after finishing high school to further his education.
He had initially expected to continue his baseball career after graduating, but after agreeing to a deal with the New York Yankees, he abandoned his undergraduate studies.
But as he had promised his mother Diane, he eventually enrolled at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa and began studying mechanical engineering.
Career of Minor Leagues of Kyle Higashioka
Kyle made the decision to play professional baseball not long after the New York Yankees drafted him in the seventh round when he was still a high school student. He played in Class A Advanced State Leagues the entire year of 2012 with the Trenton Thunder and Tampa Yankees.
Kyle, however, missed nearly two seasons after sustaining a serious injury at the conclusion of the 2012 campaign. He sustained severe injuries to his thumb and elbow, and in order to fully recover from his elbow injury, he had Tommy John surgery.
Fortunately, Kyle had a really good season in 2016. His performance for the Trenton Thunder in the Class AA Eastern League during his first season there was astounding.
As a result, he was given the chance to play for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate team, the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. After their catcher Gary Sanchez hurt himself in 2017, the Yankees elevated Higashioka to the major leagues.
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Career in MLB
Kyle Higashioka finally made his MLB debut as a defensive replacement on April 10, 2017, Then after 10 years being selected in the draft. Sadly, after Sanchez recovered from his injuries in May, he had to go back to RailRiders.
For him, the remainder of the 2017 campaign was erratic and unpredictable. Also he alternated between MiLB and MLB, and while doing so, a knee injury complicated his situation.
Higashioka began the 2018 campaign with the RailRiders before being called up to the big leagues by the Yankees when Sanchez sustained yet another injury. Kyle participated in 72 games this period, averaging.167/.241/.319 at-bats.
Despite playing in fewer matches for the Yankees, Kyle was successful in following seasons. He also broke some milestones, including as the first Yankee to catch a no-hitter since 1999 in 2021 and the 24th Yankee to have a game with three home runs in 2019.
Higashioka has already begun to play as a notable catcher for the Yankees and is now having a good season.
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Career Accolades & Achievements
Among Kyle’s accomplishments are:
- Roberto Clemente Award nominee (2021)
- FSL Mid-Season All-Star (2015)
- International League Player of the Week (2016)
- Yankee’s Best Defensive Catcher (2017)
Age and External Aspects
Although Kyle Higashioka is a 32 years old Baseball Player. Regarding his physical characteristics, Kyle is 6 feet 1 inch tall and about 202 lbs (91 kg). Additionally, the Yankee player has dark brown eyes and black hair.
Personal Life of Kyle Higashioka
Many of the admirers of the attractive Yankee catcher have real crushes on him. Unfortunately for them, Kyle is already happily married to his longtime lover Alyse.
By looking at his Instagram profile, where his bio states, “I am a married baseball player,” you can see how content he is to have her. Additionally, the footballer frequently praises his stunning wife in posts on social media. Alyse is a little older than Kyle because she was born on April 3, 1990, which was only seventeen days before he did. On November 13, 2016, the two finally got married after courting for years.
They do not have kids yet but have a pet dog named Millie.
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Good Guy, Kyle!
In addition to playing baseball professionally and being a model family man, Kyle has earned a reputation as a kind person among those outside of the sport. He has a well-established reputation for being a devoted supporter of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF).
A nonprofit organization called SOWF assists the families of special operations personnel who have died or been injured. However Kyle frequently takes part in fund raising efforts and has frequently donated money to the charity.
Similarly Higashioka devotes a lot of his free time to the MLB Youth Academy in Compton, where he spends hours mentoring and assisting the young players who hope to play in the Major Leagues in the future.
Also the Ben Epstein/Dan Castellano Good Guy Award was given to Kyle by the New York chapter of the BBWAA in 2021 for his numerous admirable efforts outside of baseball.
Social media presence/ Instagram, facebook Twitter
Instagram: @khigashioka
Twitter: @the_higster
Questions and Answers
What is Kyle Higashioka’s jersey number?
For the New York Yankees, Kyle Higashioka dons jersey number 66.
Does Kyle Higashioka follow the Premier League in England (EPL)?
Yes, Kyle Higashioka keeps a careful eye on the EPL. He is an ardent supporter of Liverpool FC, an English football team.