TORONTO - Deck McGuire knows the basics about the Toronto Blue Jays, and he's down with the program.
The six-foot-six right-hander chosen 11th overall became the latest piece of the organization's youth movement when he agreed to a US$2-million deal about a minute before Monday's midnight deadline for signing 2010 draft picks.
The mad scramble across the finish line capped two-plus months of consternation over whether or not the Georgia Tech product would sign or not.
With that behind him, he's ready to go.
"I know they're a pretty young organization, a lot of guys are getting ready to come up through the ranks," McGuire said on a conference call Tuesday afternoon.
"It's exciting to be part of that growth, and I hope I can help out."
McGuire's deal was part of a bold spending spree on draft picks more lavish than any other in franchise history.
Also beating the deadline with deals Monday were second-rounder Griffin Murphy signing for $800,000, fourth-rounder Sam Dyson getting $600,000 and fifth-rounder Dickie Thon Jr., receiving $1.5 million, while 15th-round pick Zak Adams and 17th-round selection Myles Jaye each took $250,000.
All told, the Blue Jays spent $5.4 million Monday as part of what general manager Alex Anthopoulos believes is a club record splurge on the draft. They signed 33 of their 56 selections, in several cases disregarding the Major League Baseball slot recommendations they once strictly adhered to.
"There were certainly several instances where we were able to go after some players that maybe we wouldn't have been in the market for in the past," said Anthopoulos. "If the baseball operations team feels the right value is there, and we present our case, (ownership) will support us and give us the financial means to sign those players."
Thon, who was seeking first-round money and got it, and McGuire are prime examples of that. Thon, son of the former Houston Astros shortstop, plays the same position as his dad and is an athlete at a premium position.
McGuire, meanwhile, is a physically imposing power arm with the type of frame the Blue Jays targeted in the draft. The 21-year-old features a fastball in the 90-94 m.p.h. range with a good slider, plus a change and a curve.
Some have compared him to John Lackey.
"I'm a four-pitch guy," said McGuire. "I do my best to run and sink (the fastball), sometimes it co-operates, sometimes it doesn't.
"I really try and locate, that's kind of my thing, I'm not going to overpower anybody but I'm going to locate as good as anybody. I mix in a curveball and a change-up that are more get-ahead pitches. I'll use them for strikeouts occasionally, but I'd say my strikeout pitch is my fastball or my slider."
McGuire compiled a 28-7 record with a 3.28 ERA in 45 starts over three seasons with the Yellow Jackets. Drafted the same night Georgia Tech was eliminated from NCAA tournament play, he said little about the Blue Jays after he was drafted leading to speculation he wasn't happy they chose him.
Not the case at all, he insists.
"My initial thought was I was really excited to be drafted ... but in that moment, it was really, really difficult for me to celebrate at all," McGuire said.
"This whole past year I was so focused on everything I was doing at Georgia Tech it was hard for me to think outside the box too much. That night on June 7 I was elated but with the tough loss, things didn't sink in until a month or so later."
Now, McGuire is just waiting for the Blue Jays to finalize their plans for him and get going on chasing his childhood dream.
"I felt like I was ready to get the pro career started to be honest with you," he said of his thought process Monday night. "When it was coming down to the end there and it really came time to make that executive decision, I felt like it was time to start my professional career and time to help out a great organization."
