Two of the youngest players on one of Major League Baseball’s youngest teams are shepherding one of the youngest pitching staffs in the game.
Would a little veteran savvy help rookie White Sox catchers Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero and speed up their development?
It wouldn’t hurt, but for now the Sox are leaning into their youth — and looking for them to take the next step as long-term components of a rebuilding team.
“I think it’s really a group effort here, where these catchers are very capable guys that are bright guys that work extremely hard,” manager Will Venable said. “They put in the work with the coaches. They put in the work studying the video and reports and talking to pitchers and game-planning and doing everything they need to do to be prepared for a game.
“So it’s gonna be part of them being here and playing every day. They’re learning as much as they can, and every experience they get a little bit better.”
With the notable flameout of 2016 first-round draft pick Zack Collins, the Sox’ farm system hasn’t produced a steady backstop since Omar Narvaez or Tyler Flowers came up about a decade ago.
Fast-forward to Quero’s arrival via the 2023 trade of Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the Angels. The 22-year-old has worked his way into the heart of an admittedly low-power lineup since being called up about three weeks into this season.
Venable once again batted Quero third in Tuesday’s 12-2 series-opening loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, with the switch hitter smacking an RBI single during his 2-for-4 night.
Quero’s still waiting on his first big-league home run, but he’s repeatedly come through with clutch hits for the White Sox en route to a .284 average with 17 RBI.
He had the counsel of veteran backstops Matt Thaiss and Korey Lee in spring training into the first quarter of the season.
But with Teel tearing up pitching at Triple-A Charlotte, general manager Chris Getz dislodged the Sox’ catching logjam by trading Thaiss to Tampa Bay, demoting Lee and doubling down on rookie catchers.
“That first month, having Thaiss and Korey, they helped me a lot. Now I feel more comfortable working with the guys and just trying to keep learning,” Quero said.
Meanwhile, Teel — the Sox’ No. 2 prospect and No. 25 across Major League Baseball, per MLB Pipeline — has gone 5-for-22 with an RBI and a stolen base in his first eight big-league games.
The 23-year-old Teel, a prize of the Sox’ trade of Garrett Crochet to Boston, lowered the Sox’ average age to MLB’s seventh-youngest (28), according to ESPN.
Like Quero, he has the most room for growth on defense.
“It’s just getting to learn about the pitchers every day, what are they doing, where do they want the targets, how do they work,” Quero said.
Teel played outfield at Virginia and has taken grounders at first in the minors. But even with Lee beckoning from Charlotte, don’t expect to see Teel without his catching gear anytime soon.
“To have two guys that are capable, it can help you in many different ways,” Getz said earlier this month. “To keep them energized and to be able to get the best out of them, having two of them is not a bad thing.”