Edgar Yoel Quero is currently the best receiver in the entire Los Angeles Angels farm system. In fact, the young man from Cienfuegos is included as the number eight prospect in the organization, after only one season as a professional and only 19 years old.
Quero was signed in 2021 for a sum of 200,000 dollars at a time when the international signing period had already been completed for a month. That sum, awarded in February, speaks of a great effort by the organization to gain his services, and highlights the expectation that the youngster generated from the first moment.
Born in the municipality of Santa Isabel de las Lajas, he trained as a catcher in the nearby province of Villa Clara. Of course, nothing better for a fish than learning to swim in the midst of newts and that is the case in point.
It is no secret to anyone that the northern center of the island is prolific in high-carat receivers. From there, Lázaro Pérez, Alberto Martínez, Ángel López and lastly Ariel Pestano, whom many consider (especially the younger ones) the best of all time on the Island, have worn harnesses.
With that influence, Quero joined the national teams of minor categories and in his service record he recorded two international events with the Cuba team.
First, he participated in the U-12 World Cup held in Chinese Taipei in 2015. There he averaged .267 with four hits in 15 at-bats (three of them doubles) and struck out three times. On defense, he made five errors, a passed ball and caught two opponents on 10 pads who ran, something that fits the characteristics of stealing bases in the category.
Then, in 2018, he participated in the U-15 World Cup held in Panama, where another Edgar Yoel was already seen. In the isthmus land, he averaged .400 (15-6, a double, four runs scored and six RBIs, five walks, three hits and never went to the bench by way of strikes). On defense he made no mistakes, two were robbed and three paid dearly the price of wanting to win an extra base. He integrated the All Stars of the tournament.
When everything seemed to indicate that Quero would have to decide whether to follow in the footsteps of Ariel Pestano in Villa Clara or Osvaldo Arias in Cienfuegos, the news arrived in 2019 of his departure from the country in search of the dream of playing in the best baseball in the world.
For a while he was lost track of as he sought development in Caribbean baseball academies, but in February 2021 his signing with the California organization was announced and the clock ticked down for the catcher as he attempts to pursue the legacy. of another great with whom he has more than one similarity, Yasmany Grandal.
From a physique that is not impressive (five feet and eleven inches with 170 pounds of weight), he has managed to refine his swing technique to a superlative degree in his most recent time (season 2022) to connect with the perfect mix between touch and strength, achieving a .281 offensive average and an isolated power of .167 (indicator of the extent to which he achieves force connections).
In his debut last year in the Arizona League, and then a brief stint in Class A, Benny Moré’s native batted .240 with five home runs in 39 games. The power isolated from him already showed what he’s going to be capable of and left him at an extraordinary .253, even though most of the time (29 games) he was in a Rookie league.
In his first stint with the Inland Empire 66ers (Class A Angels), he struck out in 38.1% of appearances. Already in 2022 this frequency decreased to 19.6%, while the bases on balls increased by 3.1% and his hitting power (and therefore swing acceleration) also increased to seven home runs in 58 games. All this happens while he takes on the four pitches per turn, a value that is located in the average of professional baseball.
Edgar bases his offensive value on contact, although the combination of speed and angle of departure of his hits gives him excellent odds to consistently produce hard.
Previously we commented that his resemblance to Grandal was interesting, saving the distances. Well, Quero, like the current mask of the Chicago White Sox, is ambidextrous and is not afraid of receiving walks at all (39 in 2022 for 15.1%). Sound familiar to you?
An advantage in the modern game is the ability to avoid special formations defensively. Edgar naturally fits that all-field hitter profile quite a bit, as he hits 36-39% to the corners, and about 24% to midfield.
In 2022 his offensive evolution has been abysmal. In April he hit .214 with one home run, and in May he hit .268 with another. However, it is June that sets the guidelines and increases the expectation of what can be. Six doubles, five home runs, 15 RBIs, 17 walks and 13 strikeouts with an average of .347 and an OPS of 1.017 mark the best month of his short career and may become the break to confirm the position given in the ranking. of the organization by the experts.
Looking at it from the defensive end, his arm is strong. We’ve seen him throw to first base on his knees with strength and without significant effort. However, and we know about the changes in the category that encourage base stealing, he has started 78 runners in 45 games and has only put out 16 (20.5%) so there is still room there to grow.
The aforementioned “framing” (also known as petting or the ability to confuse the referee and turn balls close to the zone into strikes) is a topic to talk about, since he handles it like an expert, especially in pitches that border the lower limit, turning several pitches into strikes in each game.
Defensive errors (11 in 76 games and 545.1 innings) and passed balls (four in his career and none in 2022) speak well of his ability behind the plate. With these tools there is no doubt that he will also increase his ability to manage the game, but that is where he has to concentrate his greatest effort.
It is no secret to anyone that receiving is the most complex position within the defensive scheme of the game. Achieving maturity takes time and a good receiver gives an advantage in the modern game that is not to be underestimated.
Recently, the prestigious site Fangraphs updated the value of the prospects (index that is formed from the different game tools), and Edgar Quero improved his indicator of Future Value (Future Value), which testifies that the growth of the Cuban in the season has been even above expectations.
For now, he is guaranteed some of the most important conditions to grow in the Minor League system. The first thing is game time. He is the every night catcher for the Inland Empires 66ers. The second, and as important as the first, is to be graced by the coaching staff, which will open opportunities for growth in a sustained and constant manner.
Edgar Yoel Quero seems to have come to professional baseball for interesting things. For now, his daily goal has to be to grow, grow and grow an inch every day. It is estimated that he can reach the Majors in 2026, but his talent has to accelerate the forecast and the organization to which he belongs does not have an absolute owner of the position for a long time.
Your competition is only with yourself. Plenty of talent. Time will tell!
