White Sox Prospects: Who will be the catcher of the future?
After the trade deadline, the White Sox have set themselves up to have at least two potential All-Star catchers for the future. The catcher competition that will unfold in the next two to three years will be exciting
An organization looking to touch up some areas of weakness to compete in the next year or two should not have Yasmani Grandal as their catcher.
At the time of the signing, Grandal was an exceptional pickup. He was a decorated veteran with pop and tremendous plate discipline.
Speed has never been used to define what he does around the bases and his catching ability would not get any better, but the signing signaled this team was ready to take the next step.
The front office missed that step, the White Sox did not add as much as they should have, and this rebuild fizzled out. In 2020, Grandal was the symbol of the rebuild, ready to start winning. In 2023, he is the symbol of the rebuild's failure and will not be on the 2024 team.
The Chicago White Sox have an issue at the catcher position right now.
Seby Zavala is okay but the White Sox are looking for their catcher of the future. Last week, no one knew who that was going to be. Today, a battle for the spot has formed and will play out in the next two to three years.
A couple of other names are in the mix as well. The White Sox drafted a catcher this year, and a Double-A star is emerging. For the first time in quite a while, the Sox have multiple legitimate catchers for the future in the farm system, two of which are potential MLB contributors.
Korey Lee
The Chicago White Sox acquire Corey Lee from the Houston Astros.
With the recent emergence of Yainer Diaz, the Astros have made it clear they want him as their future. Considering the pitching staff's admiration for Maldonado, they will likely resign the 39-year-old, displacing Lee.
That is until the White Sox reunited Kendall Graveman with Houston, sending Lee to Chicago.
Defensively, Lee has a canon of an arm. Graded 70 on the 20/80 scale, his arm is his best defensive tool.
In the past, he has had trouble in the blocking and game-calling aspect of the position, but today scouts would consider those two parts at league average. Lee recognized a weak aspect in his defensive game, worked hard to fix it, and overall improved.
Offensively, Lee has raw power that makes scouts salivate. In 2019, he smashed 15 home runs with Cal leading to the Astros drafting him that year.
Last season, in 104 games with Triple-A Sugar Land, Lee smacked 25 home runs and 20 doubles, driving in 76 runs. He had an ops of .790.
After the 2022 season, Lee and Astro coaches agreed he needed to work on his .238 average and .307 on-base percentage. The change in approach caused fewer home runs but improved other aspects of his offensive game.
Despite the walk rate dropping, so has his strikeout rate. He has been more selective at 24.8% K rate compared to 28.5% last season.
That directly translates into his .369 batting average on balls in play. In 68 games with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, Lee raised his batting average to .283 and on-base percentage to .328.
Offensively, Lee must learn to mix his raw power with his get-a-hit approach. Defensively he needs to continue to work on blocking and game-calling to complement his arm strength.
Before the season began, many expected him to make the Astros' 26-man roster. When someone hears they'll probably make the major league roster and they don't, it's easy for that player to slide a bit and regress. Lee didn't skip a beat, reported to Triple-A, and began his work.
Lee has shown signs of leadership and the Space Cowboys pitchers praise his work ethic. He has proactively prepared for games and watches MLB sequences to help his Sugar Land staff. His Triple-A manager called him the overall package and he has the skill set to be the catcher of the future.
Playing for an organization where promotion is unlikely can be taxing. A change of scenery and a chance for promotion before the catching competition begins could be what Lee needs to break out.
Edgar Quero
The Chicago White Sox have high hopes for Edgar Quero going forward.
Signed out of Cuba, the Angels looked at Edgar Quero as a potential catcher for their future. After his MVP in High-A last year, just as a 20-year-old, Quero solidified his name as a top prospect.
The best aspect of his defensive game is his above-average arm. His receiving and game-calling need work but he is not far behind.
His athleticism gives him above-average mobility behind the plate and above-average speed on the basepaths out of the catcher position, a nice change in pace after three years of Yasmani Grandal.
Speaking of Grandal, Quero is a switch-hitter with more power from the left side. From both sides, however, he can barrel up balls consistently.
Another plus about Quero's offense is his plate discipline and ability to draw walks. In 70 games last year, he recorded a 17.1% walk rate and a 16.5% strikeout rate with a .294 batting average on balls in play.
Quero hasn't taken off drastically in four games in the White Sox organization. In 15 at-bats, he's smacked just three hits. He drove in a couple of runs but struck out twice compared to his one base on balls.
Not much concern there. The hitting will return. Quero is on a three-game hitting streak. Defensively, he's already made a few highlights throwing out two Trash Pandas Tuesday.
With a ceiling of 2021 Yasmani Grandal, Quero will have a lot of eyes on him to be the catcher of the future. Propped up with that title in the Angels organization, he was still battling Logan O'Hoppe for that job as Quero is ranked lower on the MLB Pipeline Top 100.
In the White Sox organization, Quero can take a slower pace and work on his game rather than compete for the starting catcher job in a year or two. With Korey Lee in Triple-A Charlotte, Quero's development does not need to be rushed.
Who to pick?
The White Sox now have two quality catching prospects in the system.
At this point, it is hard to say who the White Sox imagine their catcher of the future to be. Lee will arrive on the Southside first, but only because he's 25 and has seen MLB pitchers already.
While there is no need to rush Quero, he is developing quickly and will make a competition out of the catching position soon enough.
Both Lee and Quero have been described as future All-Stars by multiple scouts. Both have advantages as well as parts of their game they need to clean up before competing for the starting job. Their competition will be exciting but won't play out for another two to three years.
The two expected players competing for the catching job are Lee and Quero. However, the Sox drafted Calvin Harris from Ole' Miss, and 30th-ranked prospect Adam Hackenberg is quietly holding a .773 OPS this year between Birmingham and Charlotte.
Lee will have about a year or two of service time to make a name for himself before Quero is ready for the big leagues.
In the meantime, Harris, Hackenberg, or another catcher could come along and crush before Quero is called up. For the first time in a long time, the White Sox have a legitimate competition for catcher of the future.
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