Why Pittsburgh Pirates signing, Sydney schoolboy Solomon Maguire is so good
He’s the schoolboy from the Sydney suburbs who has caught the eye of a major league club in the US. Now Solomon Maguire is waiting for his shot to impress the Pittsburgh Pirates some more.
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He might look like an ordinary schoolboy preparing for his HSC but Sydney athlete Solomon Maguire is anything but.
The teenage talent has something so special it has caught the attention of some of the biggest baseball teams in the world with one significantly boosting his bank account just prior to his 17th birthday.
A major league club has dug deep to snare the baseball gun to a lucrative deal, with outfielder Maguire to join the Pittsburgh Pirates in the US when coronavirus restrictions allow.
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“I was supposed to be going to spring training which started in early April,” said the articulate Castle Hill High school student who was signed for US$594,000 with US $175,000 for schooling.
“We found out two weeks before April 4 I wouldn’t be doing that when they said you won’t be able to come over.
“I was shattered. It was going to be so exciting.
“But I guess it safer to be here to be here.”
The athletic Hills rep, who plans to buy stocks with his windfall, believes practice has been the key to catching the eye of scouts, along with his relaxed approach.
“No matter what, super hot or super rainy, I just went out and trained,” said Maguire, 17, who signed in February.
“I think I have excelled because I always went to practice.
“I sacrificed a lot but it doesn’t feel like sacrifice.
“When all my friends would go out and have fun I wouldn’t always go.
“I still go out but I like to have my sleep schedule.”
Maguire, who lives at Kellyville with his family, was helping out in his local sports ground canteen when the call from the Pirates came through to his dad inviting him to a camp in the Dominican Republic which helped seal the deal.
“I played really well and showed them my hitting and running,” said Maguire who has represented Australia on multiple occasions as a junior.
“I flew to the Dominican Republic by myself and I was the only English speaking kid but I am pretty friendly.
“It was a way for me to show them more of my makeup.”
Maguire, who is studying for his HSC at home, said he is still hopeful of making it to the US for a camp in December.
He trains with both a ball machine and his father and his working to improve his strength while he waits for restrictions to be lifted.