Guillermo Quiroz Stats & Scouting Report

AB	346
AVG	.199
OBP	.256
SLG	.277
HR	3

Full name Guillermo Antonio Quiroz
Born 11/29/1981 in Maracaibo, Venezuela
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Debut 09/04/2004

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Quiroz has been largely invisible since his huge 2003 season in Double-A, missing chunks of the past two seasons to injury. It's now uncertain what kind of return the Blue Jays will get on their initial $1.2 million bonus investment in Quiroz. His troubles started during his breakout year, when he suffered a collapsed lung toward the end of the season. He was stricken with the same problem last spring, and had surgery to build scar tissue in an attempt to prevent another reoccurrence. His left hand was broken by a pitch in 2004, and he has played a total of 141 games during the last two years. Quiroz has gotten rusty after the layoff from live pitching, but he has a good batting eye and is capable of delivering bigtime power for his position. He does have a long swing, however, and never has hit for much of an average. His receiving looked shoddy in the Arizona Fall League, and though he has plus arm strength and a quick release, he threw out just 29 percent of basestealers in 2005. He has well below-average speed on the bases. Quiroz' injuries have been fluky, and he played through his first collapsed lung for a time, thinking it was just a severe chest cold. But now he's heading into his eighth season in the system, and Curtis Thigpen has passed him in the Jays' long-term plans. Quiroz will have to fight for the big league backup job in spring training, though he may be better served by getting more regular playing time in Triple-A.
Signed for $1.2 million, Quiroz missed time late in 2003 with a partially collapsed lung, and missed most of May and June in 2004 after he broke his left hand. He returned to make his big league debut in September. Quiroz has above-average catch-and-throw skills, with plus arm strength and a quick release. At the plate he makes contact, does a good job of working the count and displays plus raw power. In 2003, Jays coaches used videotape of Quiroz taking batting practice as an example to hold up for other players because he exemplified the organization's approach to hitting. Even before he was hurt last year, Quiroz showed up for spring training out of shape, affecting his performance. His swing can get long, and he may never hit for much of an average. A year after catching 44 percent of basestealers, he nailed just 22 percent in 2004. Quiroz could use more time in Triple-A, but the Jays need help behind the plate and he's not far from sticking in Toronto.
Quiroz signed as a free agent with the Jays for $1.2 million after his agent, Scott Boras, took him around the high school showcase circuit. He missed time late in 2003 with a partially collapsed lung but returned for three games in the Eastern League playoffs. Quiroz' plus arm and good throwing mechanics help him post consistent sub-2.0-second times on throws to second base. He threw out 44 percent of opposing baserunners last year. Toronto officials rave about his near-flawless English and his ability to steer pitchers through tough innings. He has a power bat to go with his power arm, and like Rios he punished winter league pitching, drilling 11 homes in 44 games in Venezuela. Quiroz' swing is at times long and mechanical. He's good at making adjustments, but he doesn't project as much more than a .270 hitter. He has made strides in his concentration and keeping a steady approach through an entire season. His performance at Double-A New Haven vaulted Quiroz past Kevin Cash on the organization depth chart. He should establish himself as the Jays' starting catcher no later than 2005.
Quiroz signed for $1.2 million, one of the largest bonuses ever for a Venezuelan player. He entered the 2002 season a career .205 hitter, but progressed enough to get an emergency Triple-A promotion when Kevin Cash hurt his hand. Quiroz has excellent athletic ability and agility behind the plate, and his catch-and-throw skills nearly match those of Cash. He has become fluent in English and handles pitching staffs well. Quiroz finally started to answer offensive concerns by showing better concentration and strike-zone judgment at the plate, unleashing his above-average power. His offensive approach is similar (though less potent) than Josh Phelps'. Quiroz' power comes with lots of strikeouts. He has a long, sweepy swing that constantly needs adjusting. He's never going to win a batting title and still needs to learn the strike zone better. With Phelps, Cash and Jayson Werth ahead of him, the Jays can afford to be patient with Quiroz. He'll move up to Double-A and could continue his offensive improvement as pitchers throw more strikes.
Signed for $1.2 million, Quiroz now seems like a luxury in an organization full of catchers with all kind of skills: offensive versus catch-and-throw, experienced versus raw. He falls into the raw and catch-and-throw categories, as his statistics would indicate. Offensively, Quiroz has problems with timing and his approach to hitting. He has a fairly short swing with good bat speed. His defensive tools are top-notch. A good arm and athletic build complement Quiroz' receiving skills, and he rapidly has developed into a leader. He speaks good English considering his background and limited time in the United States, and he has a good feel for calling a game and handling a pitching staff. Because of their backlog of catchers, the Blue Jays can and will be patient with Quiroz, who fought nagging injuries and played just 82 games in 2001. He'll likely return to low Class A to handle top arms such as Dustin McGowan, Brandon League and Eric Stephenson.

Minor League Top Prospects

After a breakout 2003, Quiroz missed eight weeks with a broken bone in his left hand and never got untracked. He still ranks as one of the top catching prospects in the game, however. Quiroz has power in his bat and his arm. While his pop times to second base were consistently under 2.0 seconds in 2004, he threw out just 22 percent of basestealers in the IL. He should be good for 20-plus homers annually in the majors, though he does strike out and probably won't hit for a high average. "The injury sapped him of a lot of that raw power," an NL scout said. "Sometimes it takes more time coming back from a hand problem like this one, especially confidence-wise. I think you'll get a better read on what he can do this winter and into next season."
Despite playing his home games at Yale Field, a difficult home run park, Quiroz still went deep 20 times. But his work behind the plate may have been more impressive. He threw out 44 percent of basestealers while consistently making throws to second base in 1.9 seconds or less. Quiroz might never hit for a high average, but his power should translate to the major leagues. He'll need to adjust to better offspeed pitches, though he can crush mistakes. Besides his strong arm, he also shows good agility behind the plate.
Like Rodriguez, Quiroz is a 17-year-old Venezuelan who received a first-round-equivalent bonus to sign last winter. Unlike many young Latin players, though, Quiroz has extensive international experience, including catching on the 1994 Venezuelan Little League World Series championship team. Quiroz stood out defensively among league catchers with his quickness and arm strength behind the plate and his intelligence in calling a game. Quiroz also showed his power potential by hitting nine home runs.