Approach Is The Top Priority For Pirates’ McGuire
PITTSBURGH—Catcher Reese McGuire bats cleanup at Double-A Altoona.
The 21-year-old bats in an interesting spot considering that he hit 15 doubles and no home runs last season in 411 plate appearances at high Class A Bradenton. He batted .254/.301/.294 in 98 games.
However, the Pirates believe McGuire will eventually add power to complement his outstanding defense. That is why they used their second of two first-round picks—14th overall—in the 2013 draft to select him from Kentwood High in Covington, Wash.
Pirates officials were encouraged that McGuire hit .294/.379/.412 in 58 plate appearances against advanced competition in the Arizona Fall League last year.
“He showed he belonged, and I think that was a confidence builder for him,” farm director Larry Broadway said.
“Coming into camp this year, he looked good physically. (He had) another year under his belt being away from home all year and being a young man out on his own. He continues to progress and is in a good spot.”
The lefthanded-hitting McGuire connected for one double and one home run through his first 17 Eastern League games, batting .220/.352/.288 in 71 plate appearances. The solidly-built, 5-foot-11, 215-pound catcher said he is not concentrating on homers.
“The power is going to come, for sure. I’m confident of that,” McGuire said. “What I want to do is control what I can in the box.
“(I focus on) staying hard-nosed to my approach and getting a good pitch to hit and doing everything I can to square it up.”
McGuire, who has been a catcher since he first started playing baseball, also knows his primary focus is handling the pitching staff.
“It goes back to knowing the guy on the bump,” McGuire said. “Every day they go out there, they’re not going to have their best stuff, so you’ve got to know what it takes to get them through that.”
PITTBURGERS
• Altoona center fielder Austin Meadows returned to the field on April 25 and went 4-for-26 (.154) through his first six games. He had only recently been cleared to play in extended spring training games because he missed six weeks after sustaining a fracture orbital bone around his right eye on March 8.
• Righthander Trevor Williams, acquired from the Marlins in an offseason trade, was forced out of the game in the first inning of his first start at Triple-A Indianapolis because of shoulder discomfort. However, an MRI revealed no structural damage.
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