“I’m just glad that I got a second chance,” McGruder said. “Everybody doesn’t get a second chance in this game and I’m just glad the Reds gave me that opportunity.”
McGruder is making the most of that chance. He had three more hits Thursday night and scored twice as the Dragons beat West Michigan, 8-4. After a slow start with his new team, McGruder owns 15 hits in his last 10 games. “My dad always told me the good players fight through the times when they’re down to get themselves up,” McGruder said.
In the political world of baseball it’s rare for a big-eague team to pick up a lower-level minor leaguer released by another team. Those roster spots are usually reserved for draft picks in whom a team has already invested time and money.
A ninth-round draft pick out of Texas Tech, McGruder said he got no explanation why Seattle gave up on him. Standing 5-foot-6, he is used to being overlooked. “Ever since I was 5 years old I’ve had to prove people wrong,” McGruder said. “I have no problem with it.”
He was more than a one-sport guy at Mesquite High School in suburban Dallas. He also played football, basketball, and ran track. “The other sports were always secondary,” McGruder said. “To help me be better in baseball. Baseball has always been my first love.”
• McGruder wasn’t the only guy with a big game Thursday. Phillip Ervin cracked his first professional home run leading off the fourth inning. The former first-round draft pick hit a home run earlier this month but it was wiped off the books when the game was rained out.
Sammy Diaz followed with a two run homer two hitters later. It was the first time this season Dragons hitters belted two home runs in the same inning.
The Dragons took over sole possession of second place in the Midwest League’s Eastern Division. The top two teams in each half of the season qualify for the playoffs. The Dragons haven’t been a first-half qualifier since 2007. That team included Drew Stubbs, Chris Heisey and Todd Frazier. They lost in the first round.
• The Dragons made a roster move before the game. Right-handed pitcher Evan Mitchell went on the disabled list with a broken bone in his hand. Left-hander Nolan Becker was called up from extended spring training.
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