Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel duel for White Sox backup catcher job with explosive starts to MiLB season
Will the South Siders call up a switch-hitting contact hitter or mashing lefty first?
Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel are already punching well above their weight with the Charlotte Knights, and the MiLB season isn’t even a week underway. With a home sweep against the Gwinnett Stripers, Quero and Teel have contributed their fair share to the White Sox Triple-A affiliate’s offensively-loaded wins.
Quero, the White Sox’s No. 6 overall prospect per MLB (No. 3 at SSS), and Teel, MLB’s No. 2 for the Sox (No. 5 at SSS), have made quite the statement in the first three games of the season. Quero has gone 5-for-11, drawing three walks and scoring five runs, while Teel has hit 6-for-12 while mashing two home runs, driving in nine, and scoring five runs.
White Sox prospect Kyle Teel is GOING OFF to start 2025
— MLB (@MLB) March 30, 2025
In two games, he's 5-for-9 with two homers and eight RBI pic.twitter.com/lpltQC9k3y
Together, Quero and Teel have been a force to be reckoned with for the Knights.
Alternating between DH and catcher for now, Quero and Teel complement each other well in the lineup. Quero is a switch-hitter known for his plate discipline and ability to draw walks, which makes him an ideal 3-hole hitter. Teel, on the other hand, is a power-hitting lefty who possesses plenty of strength to pull the ball. Between Quero’s on-base abilities and Teel’s cleanup hitting, the Knights are well-positioned to move runners around the bases.
Predicting who will substitute for or replace Sox backup catcher Matt Thaiss when the time comes is difficult — but in a good way, because Quero and Teel developmentally are in similar tiers. The Angels signed Quero in 2021 at age 18, but he has yet to make his big league debut. He has improved his hitting and basic catching skills like framing and blocking, so Quero is at the cusp of getting his chance. Meanwhile, Teel was drafted by the Red Sox in 2023 and has quickly climbed to the top of the national prospect list. What he lacks in speed he makes up for in arm strength and rapid defensive improvement.
Picking between Quero and Teel won’t be easy for the Sox. Neither wins the righty/lefty competition outright because Thaiss is a lefty and both Quero and Teel bat on the left side. That means it comes down to whether the Sox need more power or contact hitting, and for a team that appears to need offense, period, that makes it a coin toss.