Chicago Cubs Season in Review: P.J. Higgins

PJ Higgins was a solid depth piece for the Chicago Cubs in 2022, could he have a role on the team next season?

A nice surprise for the Chicago Cubs in 2022 came in the form of 29-year-old PJ Higgins. The catcher briefly got a run with the Major League club in 2021 after working his way through the Cubs minor league system starting in 2015, but struggled and was shut down for the season with a forearm strain less than a month after he arrived.

Higgins eventually was diagnosed with a partially torn UCL and underwent Tommy John Surgery. Chicago outrighted him off of the 40-man roster in November of 2021, and that seemed to be the end of the former 12th-round pick's time in Chicago until the team re-signed him to a minor league contract, keeping him around as a depth option.

The Old Dominion product got another chance in late May 2022, and ran with it initially. Higgins was more than effective at the plate in his limited playing time, so good in fact, that the Cubs opted to carry him even when both Yan Gomes and Willson Contreras were on the roster, giving the team three catchers for much of the season.

Higgins opportunities at catcher were limited as the season went on, but the Cubs used the righty's versatility to their advantage, getting him in the lineup at first base and occasionally third base. By the end of the season, the Connecticut native had more starts at first base than catcher, as Chicago looked to fill the position with several players. 

Through his first 43 games, Higgins had a wRC+ of 148, walking at a 9.2% rate and sporting a good .245 ISO, indicating some solid pop. It looked as though the Cubs may have had a late-bloomer on their hands, but the 29-year-old didn't finish the season well.

Over his last 31 games, Higgins batting average fell to just .168, with his ISO crashing to a paltry .045 and his wRC+ landing at 97 to finish the year. While he was likely due for some regression, the righty struggled mightily for nearly as many games as his torrid stretch early in the year lasted.

Still, Higgins could be a solid utility bat for the Cubs in 2023. It'll be a matter of keeping the former 12th-round pick closer to his first half form rather than the player we saw in the last month and a half. 

Final Grade: C+

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