Reese McGuire played 36 games with the Boston Red Sox last season and had a positive outlook heading into the 2023 season.
McGuire, who was traded to Boston last season from the Chicago White Sox, left quite the impression with a small sample size to work with. The 28-year-old batted .337 with 33 base hits, including three home runs and 12 RBIs, in 98 at-bats. The veteran catcher split part of that final stretch with 26-year-old Connor Wong, a late-year call-up from Triple-A Worcester last season.
Now undergoing his first spring training with the organization, McGuire has maintained a positive mindset before kicking off year two in Boston.
"I have a great opportunity here," McGuire said at spring training, according to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. "I want to take advantage of it."
Of course with former everyday backstop Christian Vázquez gone and with the Minnesota Twins, McGuire has an open window to settle in behind the plate. Manager Alex Cora also has Wong, who suffered a hamstring injury during Thursday's exhibition against the Philadelphia Phillies, plus Jorge Alfaro, who signed a minor league deal to join the team this past offseason.
In 44 starts last season, split between the Red Sox and White Sox, McGuire recorded a .995 fielding percentage, totaling 401 putouts in 422 defensive chances.
This positions McGuire to be the likely favorite as the go-to man by Opening Day on March 30. He's the most experienced, entering his sixth big league season. But even despite those factors leaning in his favor, McGuire knows that nothing's guaranteed in this game.
"I don't assume anything," McGuire said. "You never know. A lot of things happen in the offseason, things that are out of your control. All you can do is put your work in and be prepared when you come into spring training."
