Tate
McGuire

Another productive off-season could have McGuire rising up local draft boards quickly, as the 6-foot-3, 185-pound uber projectable Kansas City native offers plenty to like on the mound. A huge piece to Liberty North’s state championship team, McGuire pitches in the low-90s with his fastball while spinning a sharp upper-70 slider and fading a changeup to left-handed hitters primarily. A starter at the next level with three quality pitches, adding a few ticks of velocity to his fastball should help McGuire significantly from a draft standpoint. Should he make it to campus, however, McGuire could find himself pitching in Arkansas’ rotation sooner rather than later.

Holding onto the fifth spot on this board, RHP Tate McGuire (Liberty North, 2023; Arkansas commit) played a pivotal role in the Eagles 6A state championship run, earning all-state honors in the process. At 6-foot-3, 185-pound, McGuire offers a blend of present strength and future physical projectability, and there’s no doubt he’ll add at least 20 pounds of quality mass to his frame over the next few years. We caught a brief glimpse of what high school hitters had to deal with all year long when McGuire toed the rubber at Creekside during the Kansas City Program Invitational. Here’s what our scouts wrote about his performance at that event:

“...McGuire proved his prominence as an upper-tier prospect in our region on Sunday, punching out six batters in a brief three inning stint. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Arkansas’ commit reached a 92 mph high with his fastball, holding 87-91 mph from a short, quick arm slot. He faded his changeup in the mid-70s primarily to left-handed hitters and manipulated spin on a sharper, more firm upper-70s slider for whiffs out of the zone. McGuire’s present stuff and future physical projection suggest a relatively high ceiling for the future Razorback.”

McGuire proved his prominence as an upper-tier prospect in our region on Sunday, punching out six batters in a brief three inning stint. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Arkansas’ commit reached a 92 mph high with his fastball, holding 87-91 mph from a short, quick arm slot. He faded his changeup in the mid-70s primarily to left-handed hitters and manipulated spin on a sharper, more firm upper-70s slider for whiffs out of the zone. McGuire’s present stuff and future physical projection suggest a relatively high ceiling for the future Razorback.