Fans are clamoring for the White Sox to call up their second-ranked prospect, Kyle Teel, but with Edgar Quero and Korey Lee on the major-league roster, there wouldn’t be room for him to get regular time at catcher.
The Sox named Teel their minor-league player of the month for May. During a Zoom call Monday with reporters, he said he has been taking grounders at first base.
“I’ve been getting reps [there] in some of our defensive ground-ball sessions, but that’s all I’ve been doing,” Teel said. “It’s been two days, and I’ve been getting work there.
“I do have versatility in the past. I played first base in high school. I played shortstop in high school, and I was a right fielder in college. I’m an athlete, so I could play anywhere.”
The centerpiece of the trade that sent ace Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox, Teel batted .333/.444/.613 at Triple-A Charlotte last month with six doubles, five home runs, 14 RBI, 15 walks, 16 runs scored and a 1.057 OPS.
Although he’s open-minded about what the Sox decide to do with him, he reiterated he’s a catcher first and foremost.
“I think my numbers prove it,” he said. “I am really solid defensively. At the same time, any way I can get to the big leagues and help that team win, it doesn’t matter where I’m playing.”
Manager Will Venable threw cold water on Teel playing first base.
“My guess is that Kyle taking balls at first base is more about him staying athletic and just getting good work that’s different than catching bullpens and doing defensive work,” Venable said. “It’s not part of our plan to have him play first base.”
Teel was teammates with Sox right-hander Mike Vasil at Virginia in 2021. Teel was a freshman and Vasil a junior.
Vasil remembers Teel’s seventh-inning grand slam in the Super Regionals that sent the Cavaliers to the 2021 College World Series. He also recalled how dedicated Teel was to improving at the plate.
“He loves to hit, and he hits constantly — that’s just what he does,” Vasil told the Sun-Times. “One of the things I remember about Kyle [is being] in the cage hitting for hours and hours a day.”
Given the Sox’ hole at first — entering Monday, Sox first basemen were 27th in weighted runs created plus (67), according to FanGraphs — Teel still conceivably could get the call to fill it temporarily. Although general manager Chris Getz said recently the Sox want to develop Teel as a catcher, he added that “down the road, if we want to take advantage of his athleticism and versatility, we’re certainly not scared to apply that.”
Teel has improved his game-calling and receiving near the bottom of the zone. The Sox want him to hone those parts of his game, which can only happen through daily reps.
“My numbers have gotten better down there, and that’s important — especially when catching pitchers that can locate well,” Teel said.
Sox players who know the type of worker Teel is say it’s only a matter of time until he gets promoted.
“He’s a gamer,” Vasil said. “Whatever he’s doing, he’s going to figure out a way to get it done.”