ANAHEIM, Calif. — Catcher Edgar Quero’s offense has been a bonus for the White Sox this season.
Big-league catchers not named Cal Raleigh or Will Smith aren’t expected to carry big sticks, but Quero has held his own at the plate. The 22-year-old switch-hitter entered the Sox’ game Saturday against the Angels with a .278 batting average, a .725 OPS, three home runs, 13 doubles and 26 RBI in 70 games.
But Quero’s biggest strides, which have the Sox believing he can team with fellow rookie Kyle Teel to give them a formidable catching duo, have come behind the plate.
‘‘I was at Double-A [Birmingham] when he got traded here [in 2023], and to see his development from then to now is crazy,’’ Sox right-hander Jonathan Cannon said. ‘‘He’s not the same catcher now that I threw to a couple of years ago.’’
How so?
‘‘Just his feel for the game,’’ Cannon said. ‘‘Like using your eyes sometimes to read swings, trying to figure out what hitters are trying to do, just the baseball IQ. . . . He acts like he’s been there before.’’
The jump to the big leagues can be difficult for any rookie, but it’s most daunting for catchers, who must master the repertoires of starters and relievers, process reams of statistics and incorporate them into game plans and handle the physical rigors of the position, including foul tips off body parts, blocking pitches in the dirt, throwing to bases and framing pitches.
Oh, and they have to find a way to hit big-league pitching for the first extended period of time.
‘‘The hardest thing for me was knowing scouting reports and putting them into action,’’ said Sox catching coach Drew Butera, who played 12 big-league seasons (2010-21). ‘‘The game is much faster here than it is in the minor leagues, there’s a lot more things to worry about and every game is do-or-die to win.’’
Baseball Savant rates Quero as average in pitch-framing, pitch-blocking and pop time, the time it takes for a catcher to receive a pitch and throw to second on a stolen-base attempt. He has thrown out 11 of 57 would-be base-stealers, a 19.3% success rate. But some of his intangibles can’t be quantified.
‘‘If you ask all of the pitchers on our staff, they’d say he doesn’t catch like a 22-year-old,’’ Cannon said. ‘‘He has a stoic demeanor behind the plate. He’s calming, and the way he goes about the game is pretty rare for someone his age.
‘‘He’s come a long way with his pitch-calling. . . . Catcher is probably the hardest position in the big leagues, but he’s taking it all in stride, learning along the way.’’
Quero, a native of Cuba who signed with the Angels in 2021, appeared on track to become the Angels’ first homegrown catcher since Jeff Mathis (2005) and Mike Napoli (2006) broke in with the team two decades ago. He hit .312 with a .965 OPS, 17 homers, 35 doubles and 75 RBI in 111 games for High-A Inland Empire in 2022 and was named the Angels’ minor-league player of the year by Baseball America. He reached Double-A as a 20-year-old in 2023.
The Angels’ acquisition of then-22-year-old catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe from the Phillies at the trade deadline in 2022 made Quero somewhat expendable, and he was traded with left-hander Ky Bush to the Sox for right-handers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez.
‘‘It was a surprise for me because I feel like I was pretty good with the Angels,’’ Quero said. ‘‘At the same time, I understand this is a business, and I feel pretty good about the trade now.’’
O’Hoppe has hit for more power, with 18 homers in 87 games this season, but he’s batting .241 with 104 strikeouts and 16 walks in 315 at-bats and has regressed defensively.
Quero has more plate discipline, with 42 strikeouts and 22 walks in 223 at-bats. He’s a superior hitter from the right side, with a .391 average and a .947 OPS. Though he’s batting .206 with a .586 OPS from the left side, he hit an opposite-field, three-run homer batting left-handed Wednesday against the Phillies.
One could argue that Quero, who is three years younger than O’Hoppe, is the better catcher today.
‘‘He’s continuing to take good swings, to be on time, to get to some heaters,’’ manager Will Venable said. ‘‘Behind the plate, one of the things that stands out is his relationship with pitchers. Guys like throwing to him, the way he navigates games.
‘‘There’s some work to do with framing and blocking. His arm strength isn’t off the charts, but he gets rid of the ball extremely well and he’s got a good feel for the running game. So a lot of good stuff from Edgar.’’