Toronto Blue Jays: McGuire, Jansen in the catching plans for 2018?

The Toronto Blue Jays have added prospects Reese McGuire and Danny Jansen to their 40-man roster and both could be in the mix for catching duties next season.

After Russell Martin appeared in only 91 games this past season, the backup catching role for the Toronto Blue Jays could be very important in 2018. This is where Reese McGuire and Danny Jansen potentially come in.

If Martin continues to decline offensively and struggle with injuries, Toronto may have to turn to one of their young backstop’s to fill the void. The Jays have seen a carousel of backup catchers over the last three seasons, featuring Josh Thole, Dioner Navarro, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Miguel Montero and Luke Maile.

However, none of them had much success. But with McGuire and Jansen, Toronto could see their first home-grown catcher since JP Arencibia.

REESE MCGUIRE

McGuire, who was once a top-100 prospect, had a breakout season in Toronto’s organization in 2017, and although it was a small sample size, his offensive development was promising. The 2013 first-round pick came over with Francisco Liriano and Harold Ramirez at the 2016 trade deadline, in exchange for Drew Hutchison.

The 22-year-old batted .278, with a .366 OBP, 10 home runs and 48 RBI in 45 games, between Rookie class and Double-A last season. However, he missed over two months of playing time when he underwent arthroscopic surgery for a meniscus tear in his right knee in May.

The Seattle native has emerged as a defence-first backstop, but his bat has lagged behind. Before 2017 Jim Callis of the MLB Network ranked McGuire sixth on his pre-season list of MiLB catchers:

"“McGuire is the lone catcher on this list whose defense is well ahead of his offense. He’s athletic, receives and blocks well and owns a strong arm with a quick transfer. As a hitter, McGuire makes consistent contact but has yet to show any ability to drive the ball.”"

In a perfect world, McGuire would have time to develop his offensive game at Triple-A. However, if Martin only catches half of Toronto’s games, then the youngster could get an early promotion.

DANNY JANSEN

Despite being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2013, Jansen did not have his first healthy season in the minors until 2017. The 22-year-old turned some heads last season after shooting through the system, starting in Advance Single-A and ending the year in Buffalo.

Jansen’s combined totals were .323/.400 OBP, with 10 home runs and 48 RBI, including a .328/.423 mark in 21 games at Triple-A. The Illinois-native is ranked 17th among Blue Jays’ prospects and is the most prolific offensive catcher the organization has produced since Arencibia.

His scouting report on MLB Pipeline projects says:

"A right-handed hitter, Jansen shows solid power potential thanks to a combination of bat speed and physical strength. He makes a lot of contact and has a good feel for the strike zone, making Jansen difficult to strike out, and he doesn’t shy away from taking a walk."

Again, in a perfect world Jansen would have time to build on his 2017 success in the higher minor league levels. But if the Toronto Blue Jays need 70 plus games from their backup again, they may be forced to bring one of these two up for an audition.

MARTIN AND THE 2018 CATCHING LANDSCAPE

There are plenty of veteran backups on the market. However, this may not be a luxury the Jays can afford.

As we saw with Wellington Castillo‘s two-year, $15 million deal with the Chicago White Sox, veteran backstops are not an inexpensive commodity. With Martin set to make $40 million over the next two seasons, the Jays would benefit from a cheaper internal option.