RealGM

For the second straight year the Toronto Blue Jays went with pitching, selecting Georgia Tech right-hander Deck McGuire with the 11th overall pick in Monday night’s Major League Baseball draft.

McGuire, who turns 21 on June 23, went 9-4 with a 2.36 ERA in 16 starts this spring. The 6-foot-6 power pitcher struck out 118 batters in 112 innings for a Tech team that is still playing in the Atlanta Regional of the NCAA tournament.

Saturday McGuire pitched eight innings in a 5-2 win over Alabama, giving up both runs and striking out six batters.

“He’s got size, he’s got good delivery and arm action and he’s got good stuff,” said Andrew Tinnish, the Jays’ director of amateur scouting. “He’s got a good slider, a good changeup and he complements it with a curveball he can throw for strikes.”

Last season the Jays used their first pick on another tall power pitcher from a Georgia university, selecting Kennesaw State’s Chad Jenkins with the 20th overall pick.

Schadenfreude wrote:Straight-as-an-arrow low-90s fastball, ..... will give up a tonne of fly balls

SharoneWright wrote:

Schadenfreude wrote:Straight-as-an-arrow low-90s fastball, ..... will give up a tonne of fly balls

"Upper Deck"?

Schadenfreude wrote:

SharoneWright wrote:

Schadenfreude wrote:Straight-as-an-arrow low-90s fastball, ..... will give up a tonne of fly balls

"Upper Deck"?

...and we have a nickname.

SCOUTING PROFILE (3/1):McGuire has emerged as an elite prospect for the 2010 draft a little more quietly than some of his higher-profile peers, but could end up making a run at becoming the first college arm drafted when it’s all said and done. He positioned himself as a significant first-round candidate with an outstanding sophomore season at Georgia Tech, earning Atlantic Coast Conference pitcher-of-the-year honors for an 11-2, 3.50 campaign, with 118 strikeouts in 100 innings. He only enhanced his status with a fast start to the 2010 season, going 4-1, 1.17 with 49 strikeouts in his first 46 innings, and out-dueling the more acclaimed Matt Harvey, 2-1, in a key ACC showdown between Georgia Tech and North Carolina in late March. Even at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, McGuire is one of the more polished pitchers in the country. He relies equally on raw stuff and advanced pitchability for his success. He has three quality big-league pitches, including a fastball that is consistently in the 89-92 mph range, and approaches the mid-90s on occasion. While his velocity isn't overpowering, especially for a pitcher his size, he gets good sinking and running action on his fastball. His high-70s breaking ball, a cross between a slider and curve, is one of the best around, and his changeup is above average. He gets high marks for his deceptive delivery, impressive command and excellent mound presence. For all the success McGuire has enjoyed at Georgia Tech, acclaim has been relatively slow in coming. Despite a celebrated baseball and football career at Virginia’s Deep Run High, where as a senior he went 10-1, 1.35 with 129 strikeouts, and also set school career records for homers and RBIs while hitting .479-5-31, McGuire went undrafted. Even as he went 8-1 as a freshman at Georgia Tech, he didn’t earn his due as he was used mainly in a mid-week role. Unlike most other top college arms, McGuire also never pitched during the summer for Team USA or in the high-profile Cape Cod League, further adding to his anonymity. But he firmly established his credentials in the summer of 2008, pitching for his hometown Peninsula team in the Coastal Plain League. He was a no-brainer choice as the league’s top prospect by going 8-0, 1.28 in 11 starts and allowing just 35 hits in 56 innings while striking out 65. He quickly assumed the Friday role the next spring at Georgia Tech, based on that performance, and hasn’t slowed down since.—ALLAN SIMPSON

Despite a celebrated baseball and football career at Virginia’s Deep Run High, where as a senior he went 10-1, 1.35 with 129 strikeouts, and also set school career records for homers and RBIs while hitting .479-5-31, McGuire went undrafted.

komodo19 wrote:OT, and I used baseball reference, but stats only say so much: how has Drabek been doing in AA? Does he look promising? And is he in AA because AAA is more harsh on pitchers, ie. it's a batter-friendly league?

komodo19 wrote:OT, and I used baseball reference, but stats only say so much: how has Drabek been doing in AA? Does he look promising? And is he in AA because AAA is more harsh on pitchers, ie. it's a batter-friendly league?

Schadenfreude wrote:Perfect Game's full profile:

SCOUTING PROFILE (3/1):McGuire has emerged as an elite prospect for the 2010 draft a little more quietly than some of his higher-profile peers, but could end up making a run at becoming the first college arm drafted when it’s all said and done. He positioned himself as a significant first-round candidate with an outstanding sophomore season at Georgia Tech, earning Atlantic Coast Conference pitcher-of-the-year honors for an 11-2, 3.50 campaign, with 118 strikeouts in 100 innings. He only enhanced his status with a fast start to the 2010 season, going 4-1, 1.17 with 49 strikeouts in his first 46 innings, and out-dueling the more acclaimed Matt Harvey, 2-1, in a key ACC showdown between Georgia Tech and North Carolina in late March. Even at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, McGuire is one of the more polished pitchers in the country. He relies equally on raw stuff and advanced pitchability for his success. He has three quality big-league pitches, including a fastball that is consistently in the 89-92 mph range, and approaches the mid-90s on occasion. While his velocity isn't overpowering, especially for a pitcher his size, he gets good sinking and running action on his fastball. His high-70s breaking ball, a cross between a slider and curve, is one of the best around, and his changeup is above average. He gets high marks for his deceptive delivery, impressive command and excellent mound presence. For all the success McGuire has enjoyed at Georgia Tech, acclaim has been relatively slow in coming. Despite a celebrated baseball and football career at Virginia’s Deep Run High, where as a senior he went 10-1, 1.35 with 129 strikeouts, and also set school career records for homers and RBIs while hitting .479-5-31, McGuire went undrafted. Even as he went 8-1 as a freshman at Georgia Tech, he didn’t earn his due as he was used mainly in a mid-week role. Unlike most other top college arms, McGuire also never pitched during the summer for Team USA or in the high-profile Cape Cod League, further adding to his anonymity. But he firmly established his credentials in the summer of 2008, pitching for his hometown Peninsula team in the Coastal Plain League. He was a no-brainer choice as the league’s top prospect by going 8-0, 1.28 in 11 starts and allowing just 35 hits in 56 innings while striking out 65. He quickly assumed the Friday role the next spring at Georgia Tech, based on that performance, and hasn’t slowed down since.—ALLAN SIMPSON

The "good sinking action" is one I haven't been hearing...one of the knocks on him that I've read is that his fastball is easy to square, which makes him prone to home runs. If he can get good downward movement on it in the pros, that does improve his chances of succeeding. Still don't particularly like the pick, but yeah.

number15 wrote:Deck McGuire was actully the 3rd highest ranked college player in the draft..... i was surprised the Jays landed him at 11th overall. Also he is said to be the most MLB ready player in the draft.

though the true steal is Sanchez. I think he'll translate into the best player for the Jays