After the completion of the 2022 season, P.J. Higgins had a decision to make about his baseball future and where he wanted to play in 2023. Ultimately, the catcher elected the free agency route and was signed to a minor league contract by the Arizona Diamondbacks in January. Once spring training had come and gone, Higgins was headed to a new place and team with the Reno Aces.
Coming into his eighth professional season and with just over one year of service time in the major leagues, Higgins got off to a great start in 2023 with Reno. The Bridgeport, Connecticut native hit at a clip of .317 with 15 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 46 RBI for the Aces over the course of 58 games. Those numbers garnered the attention of his former team, the Chicago Cubs, and with the trade deadline under a month away, Chicago brought Higgins back to the organization via trade with Arizona.
“Definitely nice to be back somewhere I am familiar with,†said Higgins. “I’ve been here since 2015 basically, so just to be back and be with guys that I know and am familiar with and have known for a while it feels good.â€
Higgins was originally selected by Chicago in the 12th round of the 2015 draft. As he worked his way up through the ranks, he spent time with Iowa over the course of three different seasons (2019, 2021, and 2022) playing in a total of 69 games for the I-Cubs.
“I was in Vegas with Reno and they explained it to me when I was traded that they had an injury [in Iowa] and needed a catcher and they weren’t fully utilizing me over [in Reno] so it was kind of an easy move to come back and be somewhere I am familiar with especially at this stage of the season where we’re on the back end,†said Higgins. “I’m familiar with a lot of names and faces here so it’s not like an uncomfortable situation but they have a lot of young guys, a lot of young talent. Even when I was gone, I paid attention to it. You kind of always look back at your roots and see what is going on there.â€
Some of the familiar faces that Higgins has had exciting reunions with are Iowa Cubs Manager, Marty Pevey and Pitching Coach, Ron Villone.
“Definitely being with Pevey [Manager Marty Pevey] and RV [Pitching Coach Ron Villone] for I don’t know how many years now, but it’s been a while so just getting to come back and work with them, I’ve always had a good relationship with them and just about everybody in the organization too so it’s nice to come back and show that I can still play.â€
Another reunion Higgins got to have since coming back to Iowa was with his college teammates at Old Dominion, Bryce Windham, and Jared Young. Higgins, who is naturally a catcher by trade, even helped Windham in his transition to playing catcher.
“Back when they converted [Windham] in college, I would always go back for about a week or so and just be back with the guys and work with the guys. I thought that would be something cool if I was in college and the pro guys came back and just shared their knowledge and experience and they’d just converted him, so I started working with him a little bit,†said Higgins.
“The first thing he told me when I asked him what he needed to feel like catching wise he said, ‘Just receiving’. He had everything else down, blocking, throwing, you got all that and he was like, ‘Yeah, just receiving.’
“I kind of chuckled and put him through some tests,†said Higgins. “He needed a little more work than just receiving, but it’s a fun memory. Happy to play with him, happy to see he’s doing well and see how he’s grown over the years.
“It’s cool to play with him and Jared [Young]. I’ve been fortunate enough to play with old college teammates over the years. I like to say I’m the original OD [Old Dominion] draftee that brought everybody here. The roots came from the top with me. It’s definitely nice to be around and see those guys have success and be able to play with them.â€
Higgins’ presence has not only been felt in the clubhouse, but on the field as well. Since he was acquired, Higgins has played in seven games for the I-Cubs and has continued his stellar play this season. In his seven games he has hit at a clip of .429 with two home runs and five RBI, which is sure to help the I-Cubs in their quest for a playoff push.
