Baseball Prospectus | | Eyewitness Scouting Report


	Reese McGuire Born: 03/02/1995 (Age: 19)
	Bats: Left	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 0"	Weight: 215
	Primary Position: C

Compact, six-foot frame; ideal catcher's body; good present strength through his torso; athletic and light on his feet; built to withstand the rigors of the position.

Evaluator	Ethan Purser
Report Date	08/07/2014
Dates Seen	7/27-7/29
Affiliate	West Virginia Power (Low A, Pirates)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Video
2017	Moderate	55	No

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	50	Mechanics: Begins in a slightly open, crouched stance with his hands just off his ear; moderate leg kick to gather weight; consistently gets foot down in time; thrusts hips well with plenty of strength throughout his core; hands remain in a good position near rear shoulder during load; short, compact entry into the zone; bat stays on plane through the zone with a touch of lift at the end; line-drive oriented swing; above-average bat speed; effortless, loose stroke; hands work very well throughout; can get the barrel to pitches in all quadrants of the zone; shows the ability to hit in the .270 range at the highest level. Approach: Contact-oriented approach; not afraid to attack fastballs early in counts; hard contact to all fields; shows an advanced ability to pepper left field with line drives on pitches on the outer half; stays within himself and knows the situation, catering his approach accordingly; will never be a walk machine but will make plenty of contact.
Power	40	Swing is linear and built for the gaps at present, creating abundant topspin; flashes average raw power in BP; lifted an impressive foul ball to the pull side in game action; gets foot down in time to create proper leverage and generates some torque with the lower half; swing shows good incorporation of hips and hands and should allow player to generate low-teens home run power at maturity with good gap-to-gap pop.
Baserunning/Speed	40	4.3 seconds to first base on a dig; below-average runner; despite 40-grade speed, McGuire displays good instincts on the bases and shouldn't be a major liability; could lose a step as he continues filling out and the rigors of the position take hold, but his solid athleticism should limit the ill effects.
Glove	60	Athletic behind the dish; set position is low and flexible; quiet receiver; strong wrists/hands allow player to receive the ball with little lateral or vertical movement; receiving skills are refined for age; lateral agility is plus; drops down quickly and blocks balls well on both sides; shows ability to square balls up and keep them in front of him; footwork is plus; controls the area around the plate; wants to be a brick wall and instills confidence in his pitchers; has moxie behind the plate; defensive chops will drive him to the highest level; receiving, blocking, and overall game-calling ability should all be plus attributes.
Arm	60	Glove-to-hand transfer is efficient, reducing unnecessary movement; arm action is short/compact; clean, precise, and lightning-fast footwork leads to quick release and plus accuracy; replaces feet exceptionally; plus raw arm strength; throws appear to be on a downhill plane to second base; displays confidence in his arm; 1.87-second pop on a pitch high and to his glove side; will cut down the running game at the highest level.

McGuire will be a big leaguer at the behest of his defensive chops behind the plate, making his overall profile attractive. He has the skills to be a legitimate plus defender behind the plate who can handle a staff and limit the run game with a plus arm. The offensive profile vaults his overall potential into the above-average range. He possesses solid bat-to-ball ability and can barrel balls up to all fields, projecting to have an average hit tool. A contact-heavy approach and a line-drive swing plane limit the future over-the-fence power, though he should still be able to accumulate low double-digit home run totals at his peak.

McGuire presents with a smaller amount of risk than most players in Low-A due to his advanced defensive profile behind the plate. His raw OFP averages to 50, but a half-grade bump is given due to plus makeup and the aforementioned skills at a premium position. This is a player that any organization would love to acquire.