Edgar Quero Looks Like a Franchise Catcher for the White Sox

It has only been a couple of weeks, and I’m just about ready to label Edgar Quero as the best catcher on the South Side since peak A.J. Pierzynski.

Seriously though, when was the last time the Chicago White Sox had a catcher who provided genuine excitement on both sides of the ball?

Yasmani Grandal had a little legacy run in 2021 for half of a season before being a -1.4 WAR player the following season. James McCann had that 2019 season that made some believe he was the catcher of the future. Tyler Flowers (crazy name pull, right?) was borderline average for a bit and even posted 2.3 WAR in 2014.

The point here is that the White Sox have not had any true stability behind the dish in quite some time. The last White Sox catcher to post 4.0 WAR in a season was… CARLTON FISK in 1990.

Quero may not be quite that level of player yet, but he certainly could be if he continues developing on this trajectory, as he’s currently just 22 years old. He has provided a massive spark for the White Sox in his first few weeks at the big-league level.

Stats and rankings taken prior to play on May 6.

Edgar Quero Is Starting His MLB Career off on the Right Foot

In his first four games with the team (two coming off of the bench), Quero recorded four hits, including a go-ahead, eventual game-winning knock. In his first 17 MLB games, Quero has gotten on base at an outstanding .417 clip with seven walks compared to just eight strikeouts.

His approach has stood out — as it did throughout his time in the minors — and he has been such a breath of fresh air, along with Chase Meidroth, for a lineup that has struggled to take pitches and work counts in the past few years.

Quero has been driving the ball upward effectively and with authority, taking what he’s being given and picking the right spots to do damage. He’s chasing at an extremely low rate of 18.9% and whiffing at just a 14.9% clip, which would both rank near the 90th percentile of qualified hitters.

He has yet to flash much power; he hit 16 home runs last season between Double-A and Triple-A. But that should come around with time as he settles into the MLB level. Even with just three extra-base hits so far, Quero has still been the most productive hitter in the Sox’s lineup of late.

A Strong Start on Both Sides of the Ball

On the other side of the ball, Quero is considered generally to be an average defender who is still developing behind the plate. While that is true to an extent, he has looked comfortable behind the dish, and his plus arm has shown early.

He has caught four of the nine steal attempts against him in 12 games (10 starts) catching for Chicago. His framing has graded out as below average, but it’s a small sample either way, and he’s still extremely young to be a starting big-league catcher.

Furthermore, Quero’s presence has certainly seemed beneficial to some young arms who have come up through the White Sox system alongside him over the past couple of seasons.

Sean Burke just turned in his best start since Opening Day last week in his first game with his former Triple-A battery mate catching for him. Jonathan Cannon, who Quero worked with closely in Birmingham in 2023, has tossed two quality starts in a row with Quero catching him.

Those pitchers are making adjustments and deserve the credit for their strong outings, but I’m not sure it’s purely a coincidence given the praise I have heard from young pitchers in the organization for Quero in the past two years.

At the very least, Quero is someone who works hard to game plan and execute with pitchers every day. That is only going to benefit the development of this young pitching core moving forward.

Despite having just 17 games played, Quero has the third-most fWAR on the roster at 0.4, which is tied with fellow rookie Chase Meidroth at 0.5 — the second-best mark on the roster.

He does not project to have superstar-type upside, but Quero could be at least average or better at every tool aside from running. Pair that floor with clear plus approach and hit tool, you’ve got a quality MLB starting catcher.

The White Sox need some things to go right this season as they build toward being competitive in a couple years, and Quero appears to be an important piece of that goal.

His development alongside Meidroth, Brooks Baldwin, and other hitters to come from Triple-A soon (please call up Tim Elko, already!) is a focal point of the season on the South Side.

It’s important to take things one step at a time, but this team may be competitive in the not-so-distant future. Express your frustration as needed White Sox fans, but enjoy a young player thriving out of the gate, because that has not occurred frequently for this franchise.