McGuire seeks a piece of plate
Prospect has impressed during struggles of more highly touted Jansen
Reese McGuire watched his fair share of pitchers get promoted from Buffalo to the big leagues over the first four months of this season. And while he was waiting for his name to be called, the 24-year-old catcher felt a sense of pride each time one of his battery mates got the nod.
“That’s the fun part about where I was at, was almost being a part of their success,” McGuire said. “When I saw a lot of guys getting called up after having success, I felt like I was happy for them and I felt like I was able to get the best out of them.”
McGuire has been back in Toronto’s clubhouse with quite a few of those arms for six weeks now, earning his second bigleague promotion in late July when Jays backup catcher Luke Maile went down with a left oblique strain. With he and Danny Jansen in the mix, catching is one area Toronto seems to have locked down for the future.
McGuire, who was also with the Jays for 14 games last September, has impressed with above-average defence. A skilled blocker and receiver with a strong arm, McGuire took no time adjusting to controlling a big-league staff, many of whom he played with consistently in the minors or more briefly in spring training. It is not unusual to see McGuire making an obvious target out of his glove in game, clamping and flashing his leather to emphasize where he wants the pitch delivered.
“These pitchers are so dang good at hitting their spots that sometimes if you just expect them to throw a curveball that’s going to break out of the zone based on where your glove is, they might just throw it right to your glove, because they’re pretty good at doing that,” McGuire said.
“Every now and then you’ve got to reiterate, ‘Hey, we’ve got two strikes on this guy, let’s get it down here, let’s throw this type of shape of a curveball.’ (It’s the same) with pitches up in the zone as well, flashing the glove up top, trying to get a good target.” Defence will always be McGuire’s bread and butter, but it is his performance at the plate in 93 career at-bats that is setting him apart for now. McGuire has hit .301 with six home runs and11RBIs in the big leagues, with three multi-hit games out of his last six. He’s a career .261 hitter in the minors, and was hitting .247 with Buffalo when he was called up.
But while his sample size in the majors is small — an .866 OPS in 62 at-bats this year and a .914 OPS in 31at-bats last year — it is more attractive than the .207 average and .644 OPS Jansen has offered in his first full season in Toronto.
The pair have split the playing time behind the plate since McGuire’s promotion, with Jansen edging McGuire by three games. While Jansen projects to be the offensive juggernaut of the pair based on his minor-league numbers, manager Charlie Montoyo has the luxury of going with the hot bat given their comparable defensive skills. Right now, that’s McGuire. “With the bat, I feel comfortable in the box, I feel good with my approach, I love where my swing’s at,” he said.
“Right now, it’s about just getting more opportunities and trying to stay in rhythm as much as I can because I like where I’m at.”
McGuire is relying on the routines he developed in the minors to keep his head in the game as he splits duties with Jansen.
He feels hungrier in his second go-round.
“I think we’re all excited to try and be in the big leagues, make the big leagues and then, once you’re here, it’s like it’s not time to sit back and be relaxed about it,” he said. “It’s time to really go to work.”
With only one spot on the field up for grabs, making the most of the time McGuire is given is particularly important.
“I really believe strongly that I’m a starting catcher and I think over time, the more … games I get in and what not, hopefully I’m able to earn a role.”