It’s time we sit down and talk about Reese McGuire
I’ve written a few articles about Reese McGuire, one about him and Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP), as well as one about the catching situation and Reese’s heater after being recalled. However, I’ve never gone into detail about how valuable McGuire could be to this team.
Just a side note, I won’t be making any jokes about the incident that happened pre-pandemic. They aren’t funny.
Before becoming a Jay
McGuire was drafted in the first round, with the 14th overall pick in the 2013 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Drafted out of high school, the potential was evident in the Washington born catcher.
According to his pre-draft bio, defense was always Reese’s speciality, as he excelled at calling games, receiving and blocking. Not just that, but he also had fantastic arm strength, which we can see to this date.
The one question surrounding the young player was his hitting. Here is the ending to his bio on Baseball America.
“Even if [McGuire] doesn’t reach his offensive ceiling, McGuire’s defense will allow him to be a big league back, but if he hits he has all-star potential.”
Prior to the trade to the Jays, Reese was highly regarded as a prospect by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. Here is a table that shows his ranking between 2014-2016.
Year
MLB Pipeline
Baseball America
2014
7
8
2015
5
5
2016
5
6
On August 1st, 2016, the Blue Jays traded the struggling Drew Hutchison for McGuire, Francisco Liriano and fellow prospect, Harold Ramirez.
Reese’s bat:
Despite Reese’s bat being hot at certain points, he isn’t known for being a hitter. It’s important to realize that catchers aren’t expected to produce, even if the Jays have Kirk an …
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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation