Edgar Quero giving White Sox value on both sides of the ball

Since White Sox catcher Edgar Quero‘s callup to the majors on April 17, he has been one of the most productive members in manager Will Venable’s lineup. Going into Friday’s 7-3 win over the Astros, Quero had the second-highest batting average (.300) and was tied for the third-highest wins above replacement in that span of the season.

Friday’s 2-for-3, two-RBI performance only improved those numbers, and it was a microcosm of the way Quero has performed at the plate since he joined the team.

“Just quality at-bats every single time, and it’s been that from the first at-bat he’d had here,” Venable said. “He’s controlling the zone and putting good swings on it and giving us some quality in the middle of the order.”

Quero was hitting fourth Friday night, and he came through with an RBI double that scored Luis Robert, Jr. in the first inning, an RBI single in the fifth, and then a leadoff walk in the eighth inning that served as a catalyst for the three-run frame that gave the White Sox insurance runs to secure their first back-to-back wins since April 11 and 12 against the Red Sox.

“It’s just trying to get in the box, seeing good pitches in different ways, especially in the position that I’m hitting right now, hitting fourth,” Quero said. “When I got guys on base, I try to hit the ball. Especially with Robert on base, I don’t try to do too much because he’s fast. If I get a base hit [and] he’s on second, he’s going to score easy.”

Venable has used Quero as high as his leadoff batter and as low as eighth in the order, but the cleanup spot is where Quero has gotten most of his starts; in fifteen games, Quero has hit fourth six times, including Friday. Until the series opener against the Astros, however, Quero had not hit as well in the fourth spot in the order as he has in other positions in the lineup, so going 2-for-3 with a walk on Friday could be a sign he’s getting more comfortable in that spot.

But this is still a very small sample size, especially when broken down by where he is hitting in the order. The big picture of his offensive production is a very positive one so far. Quero said he is keeping to a simple approach at the plate, which is paying off nicely through his first few weeks in the big leagues: “It’s just trying to see the ball, hit the ball. Especially, like, taking the pitch, swinging at good pitches, trying to get on base.”

Quero’s value extends beyond what he can do with the bat. He has grown as a game-caller at catcher since his callup, something he credits to working with the White Sox staff and catchers Matt Thaiss and Korey Lee. Quero is on the major league roster because of the left ankle sprain that has sidelined Lee since April 10, but his performance on offense and at catcher might keep him in Chicago after Lee returns to the active roster.

On Friday, Quero paired with Jonathan Cannon, who tossed a quality start, holding the Astros to two runs in six innings while striking out five and issuing zero free passes. Cannon has pitched to Quero in all three of his starts since the rookie catcher got the call, a three start stretch in which Cannon has thrown two quality starts and missed a third by one run.

“I have nothing but great things to say about Q. I think that every single time he goes out there he improves his pitch calling, everything, his setup,” Cannon said. “He’s an unbelievable player. We’re all seeing what he can do at the plate. But behind the scenes his catching has gotten so much better. He’s definitely a really fun player to watch.”

Quero came to the White Sox organization from the Angels in the Lucas Giolito/Reynaldo Lopez trade in July 2023, and he emerged as a serious catching prospect headed into the 2024 season. In 31 games at Double-A Birmingham following the trade, Quero posted a .759 OPS, but he boosted that mark by 70 points the next season while splitting his season between Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte.

The improved performance came in part, Quero said, to dropping some weight during the 2023/2024 offseason.

“I lost, like 16-17 pounds. I feel ready to go right now,” Quero told CHGO in spring training in 2024. “I was working on my swing too, on being a little bit more inside of the ball, so I can hit the ball more in the air. Because last year I missed up a little bit because I was a little big and I didn’t feel quick, but right now I feel ready to go.”

In the 63 plate appearances at Triple-A Charlotte this season before he got called up, Quero was batting .333 with a home run and a double. He was already a good hitter in the minors before cutting a few pounds a winter ago, but that seems to have helped him get even better at the plate, and it’s paying off for the White Sox thus far.

The two runs batted in and a third run that he helped jump start on Friday played a part in the Sox getting their ninth win of the season. That’s a mark that it took them another week into the calendar to achieve last year. It’s a small step, but at least one that’s going in the right direction. Before Friday’s game, Astros manager Joe Espada said the White Sox are better than their record indicates, and that’s the sentiment among the manager and players in the clubhouse too.

They were convinced of that at times last year as well, but with performances like they are getting from guys like Edgar Quero, that might just turn out to be true.