Stout defense leads catcher Reese McGuire into first Pirates major league camp
BRADENTON -- When he was 10 years old, Reese McGuire was given the freedom to call his own game.
It's a pretty daunting task for a young Little Leaguer, but McGuire has always been ahead of the curve behind the plate.
The soon-to-be 21-year-old (his birthday is March 2) is known for his defensive prowess.
And after getting his bat on track during the Arizona Fall League, McGuire is staying the course as a top prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
This spring, McGuire, a Bradenton Marauder last season, is soaking in his first Major League Baseball camp.
He's doing it under the comfort of already having caught most of the pitchers who are in camp with him at Pirate City.
"That's the biggest part is knowing your guy on the bump and hanging out in the bullpen around the guys as well as hanging out off the field," McGuire said. "That's when you learn the most about each other and getting to know each other's backgrounds, where they come from, their families and all that's in the process of learning each other."
McGuire does that each season with every stop he's made since Pittsburgh drafted him 14th overall in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.
Last year, the Washington native landed in Bradenton, where he was a mid-season Florida State League All-Star.
However, his batting average dipped to .254 for the year. It was the second straight season McGuire saw a decline in his average after hitting a combined
.323 in his rookie year between the Gulf Coast League and the New York Penn-League.
So McGuire ventured to the Arizona Fall League to play for the Glendale Desert Dogs
"I had a great month and a half there just continuing to grow confidence at the plate, believe in myself and stay consistent," said McGuire, who hit .294 with five extra-base hits in 14 games.
But a key reason to McGuire's standing as the fourth-best catching prospect among all players, according to MLBPipeline.com, is his defense.
And that started years ago during his time as a Little Leaguer with his father as the coach, his uncle helping out and his grandfather, who was a catcher for Duke University's 1952 College World Series squad, instructing from the stands.
"It was kind of a trial-and-error thing," McGuire said. "So I'd call my own innings, then run back to the dugout and we'd always talk about certain pitches, why you did this and talk about things."
McGuire also crafted his knack for blocking pitches in the dirt through countless footwork, receiving, blocking and throwing drills during backyard sessions with his family, which included older brother Cash, a redshirt junior infielder at Seattle University and former catcher.
"It gives the pitcher on the bump some confidence to be able to know that he can throw a pitch in the dirt two strikes, 3-2 count, anything," McGuire said.
"He's going to have confidence that you're going to keep it in front."
It also gives another benefit to pitchers, including Pirates reliever Jared Hughes, who is a sinkerball guy.
"He's also able to get his hand underneath the ball to bring a ball that's moving downward back into the strike zone," Hughes said. "It's one of the things that you hear about that are, basically, the best at pitch framing. The guys that can get strikes for you, or at least get strikes called for you. ... And he does a great job of that. Just the way he receives the ball, he keeps it in the strike zone."
Jason Dill, sports reporter, can be reached at 745-7017 or via email at jdill@bradenton.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason__Dill and like his Facebook page at Jason Dill Bradenton Herald.
This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Stout defense leads catcher Reese McGuire into first Pirates major league camp ."