By James Sutherland

DUNEDIN, Fla. - Sometimes it’s when things get toughest in life that one can truly appreciate what they’ve got in front of them.

That’s certainly the case for Toronto Blue Jays 28th round pick Andy McGuire, who has a taken a long, hard road to get to where he is today.

A highly touted infield prospect coming out of high school, McGuire dealt with both injury and a positional change over his first two collegiate seasons with the University of Texas.

“I was coming off of surgery from my senior year, so I never got to fully bounce back from that,” said the 24-year-old on a sunny day at the Bobby Mattick Training Center.

“It was a rough first year, and coming back my sophomore year I felt like I was ready to play and contribute, and then I ended up only pitching. And not pitching a lot, or in any significant role, so it was a little bit discouraging.”

After two disappointing years with the Longhorns, the Virginia native made the difficult decision to transfer to USC-Aiken. Though he ultimately returned to Austin after just three weeks, this move was the catalyst for the rebirth of his career.

Due to NCAA rules, the now 24-year-old would be forced to sit out a full season.

“I had no idea if I was ever going to play baseball again. I thought about that a long time,” he said. “Two years flew by and I'm not even playing.

“I don't know what position I am anymore, don't really know who I am as a player anymore, so 100 per cent (never playing again) crept into my mind.”

After failing to earn a spot on the Texas roster the following season, McGuire persevered and made the team in 2018 as a redshirt junior. They went on to play in the College World Series.

“It was the best year I've ever had in my life as far as how much fun I had playing, the success that I was having, sort of just where I was at in my life.”

The adversity he has faced has given him a new appreciation for the game.

“I am where I am today because of what I've gone through. I know what it's like to not have this game. Some people probably do take it for granted. I took it for granted. You hope that you don't but sometimes you probably do.”

Last year with the Bluefield Jays McGuire went 1-2 with a 3.09 ERA and 23 1/3 innings pitched.