All Things: Reese McGuire

Coming into the 2021 season, the situation with Reese McGuire was a big question mark for the team. The former first round draft selection is still just 26, and has a strong defensive skill set. However, his terrible offensive performance in 2020 really dragged down his value. Most would say to send him to Buffalo (or in this case, Trenton) until he is able to pick up the bat again and get back to his 2018-2019 self, but all three of his minor league options had been used up, meaning he would have to be exposed to all 29 other teams on waivers before being sent down. That is exactly what happened.

To the surprise of many, McGuire slipped through the waiver wire untouched, and was scheduled to start the year in Buffalo. Come opening day for the Bisons, McGuire was oddly not in the lineup, which turned out to be because of a promotion back to the bigs. With Kirk landing on the 60 day injured list, the team did not trust Riley Adams (who has yet to debut) to be the full time backup, especially with the poor performance by Danny Jansen to start the year.

Since returning to the big leagues, McGuire has been on a hot streak, hitting .400 through his first 7 games with a .471 OBP. Defensively, he has continued in his already strong path, throwing out 2 of 3 base stealers - likely as a result of his elite pop time, which in 2018 (the only year he qualified for the metric), ranked in the 100th percentile. Despite a small sample size, he has impressed.

Coming off a rough 2020 in which he hit for a .073 batting average, it was clear that adjustments had to be made. In spring training he looked like the same player - there were no noticeable changes to his swing, or his approach. He had far too aggressive an approach at the plate for a hitter of his caliber, and seemed to pull everything on the ground to the first base side. In his return to the big league team, he looks like a much different player, and there are many new and clear adjustments.

In his first game back, it was very clear that his batting stance had changed - it almost looked like a different hitter in the box. The swing looks much more natural, and more standard than the mechanics he used in the past. It is a little bit longer swing than before, so he isn’t able to get to the ball as well, but this type of swing usually has more power, and could be good for long term improvement (1-3 months down the line) rather than in the short term. It’s been paying off so far, as he has hit for more contact to start the year. How much these new mechanics will help him can only be determined with time, and it’s very difficult at this point to determine how big a difference they will make for him, as well as how big a change he might find in his game (ie. a shift from contact to power, or vice versa).

The other clear change for McGuire offensively comes in his plate discipline and aggressiveness. This seems to have been the biggest issue for him in 2020. This season he seems to have a much more patient approach. He is finding himself in deeper counts, isn’t swinging at the first pitch nearly as often as last year, and is beginning to layoff pitches out of the zone. He is still struggling to identify high pitches out of the zone, but it is a big improvement none-the-less.

Defensively McGuire has made an adjustment as well. Whether it’s for the better, or the worst has yet to be seen. When it comes to picking pitches out of the dirt, it’s difficult to find a catcher more talented than McGuire. He has long had an elite ability to do so, which is extremely helpful since blocked pitches could still allow runners the opportunity to move up. As good as he was at blocking pitches, he occasionally struggled to decide whether to pick, or to block, and by time a decision was made it was too late. It seems the Blue Jays have opted to completely remove picking from his arsenal, and convert him strictly to blocking. Due to the difficulty to make the split second decision, it might be a good move to stick to only one. On the flip side, picking pitches in the dirt is a rare talent, and to have someone so good at it not being allowed to attempt it could limit his defensive impact. Like his new hitting mechanics, the benefit of this adjustment will only be determined with time. It’s too early on to tell whether or not this was the right decision.

Although many of these adjustments are still in an experimental phase, and are all very new, McGuire is still a fantastic option for the Jays. Defensively he is the best catcher the Jays have to cut down base stealers (which has been a huge issue), he is always above league average in the catcher framing metrics, and in 2020 he was one of only two players on the Blue Jays to finish with a positive defensive runs saved. His offensive ability is still very much in question, but his strong 2018-2019 seasons show significant potential, and his new, more patient approach could be a game changer for him. The argument can be made that McGuire is even the best catcher the Jays have for this season, albeit not by a huge margin (until proven otherwise).

Reese McGuire has long been a player with significant potential, but the Jays have always limited his opportunities at the big league level. With Kirk out for yet another month, and Jansen off to a dreadful start, McGuire may finally get the opportunity in the majors that he has long needed. Jansen’s recent four game stretch has given Montoyo and co. more confidence in him, which could yet again limit McGuire’s opportunities, but hot streaks only last so long, especially for below average hitters like Jansen. Should McGuire get a proper opportunity at the big league level, it should be no surprise to see him win one of the two catching spots by time Kirk returns.