Toronto Blue Jays backstop Reese McGuire has impressed both offensively and defensively since his call-up, however, could the rookie eventually pass Danny Jansen on the catching depth chart?
Reese McGuire was always viewed as a defence first catcher and never really captivated many onlookers with his bat throughout the minor league ranks. McGuire has never hit double digits in homers and set a career-high last season with seven in 96 games with Buffalo.
The 24-year old was hitting .247 with five round-trippers at the time of his call-up near the end of July. However, since his promotion, the young catcher has looked like a seasoned veteran at the plate taking a more disciplined approach.
Aside from playing solid defence, McGuire is also hitting .306 with 19 hits including three doubles and four homers in just 64 plate appearances. Granted it is a small sample size, but it definitely bodes well for him heading into 2020 especially seeing he only received the promotion after backup catcher Luke Maile suffered an oblique injury during batting practice.
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McGuire’s emergence and the threat of increased playing time is also coupled with the struggles Danny Jansen has had offensively this season. Jansen is hitting .207 with 12 homers in 100 games this season and is hitting just .198 in the second half.
Jansen had better minor league numbers than McGuire and projects as a better offensive player so perhaps this is a one-off as the backstop learned the ropes in his first full season as a major league catcher.
Both catchers are above average defenders so manager Charlie Montoyo will have the luxury of running out the hot hand without jeopardizing anything on defence moving forward.
.It will be interesting to see if McGuire can sustain his offensive clip or if Jansen can right the ship, however, one thing is for certain, Jansen and McGuire will be the Blue Jays battery for years to come.