Last night I posted an article looking at five big storylines to watch during minor league Spring Training this year. I didn’t expect that one of the questions would be answered so soon.
I was talking with Reese McGuire today, preparing for a video feature which will go up tomorrow. During the interview, he confirmed that he will be going to Bradenton at the start of the 2015 season.
“Coming from West Virginia, that was my goal, and hopefully I was going to start here,” McGuire said. “So now I’m just focused on helping the guys around me, and looking forward to a good team.”
McGuire will join a lot of his fellow teammates who will be making the jump from West Virginia to Bradenton, including most of his pitching staff. That will also include Luis Heredia, who I also talked with today, and who said the current plan is for him to start the year in Bradenton. Heredia also reiterated that his goal is to finish the 2015 season in Altoona.
“That’s a cool feeling, just moving up with the same guys that you played with last year, and just seeing them putting in the work in the off-season and having it show out here already in early Spring,” McGuire said about moving up with a lot of the same pitchers. “Everyone is excited, and we’re ready to go.”
Still no word on where Austin Meadows will begin the year. McGuire moving up clears up the lower level catching situation. Jin-De Jhang will also be returning to Bradenton. I haven’t confirmed where Taylor Gushue and Kevin Krause will be playing, but my best guess is that they will split the West Virginia catching duties, with Gushue getting most of the work, and Krause getting some time in the outfield. Considering that Connor Joe won’t be catching, and will be playing first and third base, that seems the most likely route for Krause.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
Very excited ! Live in west palm area. Going to be a multiple marauders games. Was able to see Glasnow pitch 3 times last year. Very excited by the potential line up this year. Go bucs !
Good to see that Heredia has lost weight and looks much trimmer and athletic. This is a big year for him, as he has been mostly MIA the past two years as far as performing as a top prospect. A lot of the luster has come off his shine, so this year will be his chance to re-establish himself in the organization.
For positional players, Barrett Barnes is in the same boat. Time to step up.
That seems like an aggressive push for McGuire. Especially since Elias Diaz looks like he is going to be pretty good, pushing back the need for a starting catcher in the majors.
Bill: IMO, nothing any other Catcher does will impact the progress of McGuire. As a 19 yr old He was 2.5 years younger than average in the Sally League in 2014, but was recognized as the Best Defensive Catcher in the League, and throwing out attempted base stealers at a 39% clip. That defense and his ability to handle pitchers earned him the promotion. And, his hitting was good at .262 (.275 aganst RHP’s) in almost 400 AB’s. His 24W/44K ratio indicates he was not overmatched at the plate, and 100 of those AB’s were against LHP’s.
Yeah but Diaz is a really good defensive catcher . ML ready I hear, If he outhits McGuire he’s probably going to be the future. He may not. He may drop off and McGuire take off. They both have advanced sklls defensively . If it came down to both f them deserving to start in Pittsburgh they could trade one for a boat load