Josh Winckowski on Reese Mcguire: ‘You Can Tell He Cares a Ton’

While on the SoxSpects Podcast, Josh Winckowski talks Reese Mcguire behind the plate and what he brings to the team

The 2022 Boston Red Sox finished the season with two different guys than it began with at the catcher position. Somehow, one could argue the Red Sox might have a better idea of their direction at the position moving forward.

Christian Vazquez had been a mainstay behind the dish for the Red Sox since the 2017 season, and Kevin Plawecki had served as a reliable backup for the past couple of seasons. Both players were due to be free agents at the end of the 2022 season, so shakeup was inevitable for the group.

Enter in Reese Mcguire. Acquired at the trade deadline for Jake Diekman, Mcguire made an immediate impact on some of his fellow pitchers.

The SoxSpects podcast recently had Red Sox pitcher, Josh Winckwoski, on to discuss a variety of topics that happened last season. One main take away was how impressed he was with the new Red Sox catcher:

“Almost everyone watches a lot of video but Reese is almost always looking at hitters on the iPad in the dugout. You can tell he cares a ton. I’m not sure what he ended up offensively at the end of the year, but when he came up to the plate, you had a good feeling it was going to be a good at-bat. Even when he was getting out he was seeing a ton of pitches.”

Winckowski also dove into what Mcguire brings on the defensive side of things:

“Reese behind the plate…. I don’t know if you guys remember the series against Kansas City, I threw a heater away to Salvy and he capped it, and it bounced right in front of the plate about to head foul. Reese, from the squat, palmed the ball and full on jumped on it. It was 100% heading foul and he bought me an out. He crept out of his stance like super quick. I have never seen a catcher make a play like that. Behind the plate, Reese is really good and the effort is really there.”

On top of all the things Winckowski noted in regards to on the field, another big role had to be filled… Stepping in for Christian Vazquez:

“He had huge shoes to fill and I think he filled them about as best as he could. Everyday bats also matter, and he was stuck behind Grandal in Chicago, so it’s something the fans need to think about going forward with him.”

If you haven’t listened to the full interview yet, you can find them below on Spotify and Apple Podcasts:

Photo via Abbie Parr / AP Photo