During the South Atlantic League All-Star game this week, Big League Futures took video of batting practice and has some excellent footage on Reese McGuire in the cage. Below you will find a two minute video on McGuire, followed by slow-motion footage of McGuire and Erich Weiss, so you can get a good feel for their swings. I’ve seen McGuire play the last three games and if I knew nothing about him, I wouldn’t rate him as a prospect, but I can keep things in perspective.
McGuire’s at-bats the last three days have produced a lot of soft contact. Nothing he put in play has been hit solid against Lakewood. He is 1-for-12 in the series and might not play in Sunday’s day game after a 10-inning night game, though he could be in at DH. His only hit was a ground ball between the first baseman and the second baseman that came with a runner being held on first. The part about keeping things in perspective is the fact that at age 19, McGuire is one of the youngest players in the league and power is the last thing to develop for most players.
Probably the most important thing to note, all 210 plate appearances by McGuire this year have come against pitchers that are older than him. He has struck out just once in the series, but that was after battling Mark Leiter Jr., who worked the entire West Virginia lineup in his start on Thursday. Right now McGuire makes consistent contact, striking out once every 9.25 at-bats, which is obviously a good sign. The power should eventually come and the defense has been solid as advertised. He’s very athletic behind the plate, runs well for a catcher and his arm is above-average, with a very quick release on his throws.
Reese McGuire slow-motion
Erich Weiss slow-motion
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
Reese needs to hold his hands lower when he sets up, spread his feet a little bit more and keep his foot on the ground through the swing.
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……I don’t know a damn thing about hitting but wanted to pretend that I do……Now let me say this about Pedro…………..