Edgar Quero: Angels 2022 Minor League Player Of The Year

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Edgar Quero is several years away from Anaheim, but the 19-year-old has a chance to end the Angels’ long drought without a homegrown catcher. Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis were the last two.

Quero is a switch-hitter from Cuba who had a breakout season for Low-A Inland Empire. He hit .312/.435/.530 with 17 home runs, 73 walks and 93 strikeouts in 111 games.

“He’s impacted the game on both sides of the ball,” Angels farm director Joey Prebynski said. “He’s made strides from a defensive standpoint, in receiving, game-calling, the day-to-day preparation.”

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Quero signed for $200,000, one of 11 six-figure bonuses the Angels handed out during the 2020-21 international signing period.

The Angels felt it would be best for Quero’s development to keep him at Inland Empire all season, and it’s hard to argue with the decision.

Quero has an advanced approach at the plate and rarely chases pitches out of the zone. He tapped into more power, especially from the left side, where he posted a .991 OPS. He has good speed for a catcher, with 14 stolen bases in 20 attempts.

“Getting consistent at-bats, his ability to be on time and to stay square to the baseball has improved,” Prebynski said. “In turn, some of the power production has gone up. The plate discipline has improved. The contact rates are better.”

Behind the plate, Quero has a strong arm he used to throw out 25% of the 116 basestealers to test him. He earned good marks for his handling of a staff and has the tools to be a solid defensive catcher.

With Logan O’Hoppe, acquired from the Phillies for Brandon Marsh at the trade deadline, the Angels have gone from having no decent catching prospects to boasting two of them.

“There’s no question that you build teams with strength up the middle, and developing an everyday catcher is a priority for us,” Prebynski said. “We feel really good with where we’re at in our system.”