Edgar Quero Is The Future: Updates On The Hitting Prospects The White Sox Acquired At The Deadline
When the White Sox began their sale at the trade deadline, many fans got excited to see who the Sox would get in return. The headline prospect of the bunch came in the trade for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, where they would acquire Edgar Quero, a top 85 prospect in all of baseball. They would also go on to acquire Korey Lee from the Astros, clearly signaling they want overhaul at both the pitching and catching positions, as that was the only two positions they acquired.
Here is how the two catchers have fared to this point.
Edgar Quero
Quero has been on an absolute tear to this point. Since joining the Barons in AA, he has hit an astonishing .351 with two home runs and 16 RBIs. Talk about a great start to impress your new teammates.
To make things even better, he has only eight strikeouts to six walks. If he can keep that around even for the rest of the season, that would be very impressive.
The highlight of the season for him has been the two homerun game, one of which was a walk-off blast.
To see this type of production out of a player you just got is always a good feeling. He is only 20 in AA and he even skipped high-A ball. While the Sox will likely keep him in the minors until he is truly ready, there is a chance we could see him next year at some point if he forces their hand and plays like this.
The best part about Quero is he is not just a hitter, but he can actually throw runners out, which is something Sox catchers have notoriously struggled with.
While he has a bit to go with defense, even with throwing runners out, he is still very young and there is plenty to be learned behind the plate.
Regardless, he has the bat to translate to the major leagues and there will be a spot for him somewhere, and it will likely be at catcher.
Korey Lee
The more interesting of the two prospects, Lee is a lot closer to the major leagues and we will likely see him this year. He hasn’t gotten to play very much for the Sox, as he was recovering from an injury that kept him out of the game for a while.
The former first-round pick is hitting .250 for the Knights so far and has been hitting a lot better after starting out really slow after his injury. He has come on hot lately and has raised his average significantly. If he continues to show he can hit, he should be up very shortly.
He has the hitting tools to be a major leaguer, he just needs to put it all together. He will have an opportunity to do that with the Sox and earn his spot and push for the starting catcher of the future.
I would imagine we see him up shortly and hopefully, they let him catch for the rest of the year. There is no reason to let Yasmani Grandal get any more at-bats.
Overall, both have looked pretty good and the future of the White Sox catching should be in good hands.