Quero's comeback already drawing quite the buzz in AZ

PHOENIX -- It lasted just a few minutes on a back field at American Family Fields of Phoenix on Friday and consisted of a handful of throws down to second base and then to third. A typical morning for a catcher in the early days of Spring Training. But this catcher -- Jeferson Quero, MLB Pipeline’s top Brewers prospect and No. 47 in baseball's Top 100 -- is so valued by the organization that his brief workout drew a crowd.

Among the attendees were Brewers GM Matt Arnold, his executive advisor Matt Klentak and manager Pat Murphy. It was Quero’s second time throwing to bases since undergoing major right shoulder surgery in April, and another small step forward in a comeback critical to the organization’s long-term future.

“Amazing story,” said Murphy. “When you have that type of shoulder injury, not many people come back from it. The fact he’s able to throw, period, is pretty amazing.”

On another morning earlier this week, Murphy said, “This kid is an elite player. Just to have him back healthy, his mentality -- not many guys can come back from this, and he’s one of them.”

Quero isn’t all the way back yet. He estimated he’s at 75-80 percent as Spring Training gets underway, and Milwaukee has every reason to be patient. The club is blessed to have one of baseball’s best frontline catchers in William Contreras, whose contract includes a club option for 2026 and then has another year of club control for ‘27. The Brewers also love their Major League backup, Eric Haase, and believe they have capable depth in nonroster invitee Jorge Alfaro, who has parts of eight Major League seasons on his resume.

All of which is to say the organization can take its time with Quero, 20, who hails from the same city in Venezuela (Barquisimeto) as former Brewers catcher Manny Pi?a and has ranked among Milwaukee’s top prospects since signing in 2019. He was picked for the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in 2023 and went into ‘24 at No. 35 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list, only to have his season end in the first inning of Opening Day when Quero shredded his shoulder diving back to first base.

“The rehab has progressed a lot,” he said, with Brewers coach Daniel de Mondesert interpreting. “I keep putting in the work each week and keep getting better and better as I go. I’m going to do what the medical staff lets me do, essentially. But I’m going to try to be as integrated with the team as I possibly can.”

For now, that means catching bullpen sessions and taking part in meetings with Brewers pitchers and catchers including Contreras, whose locker is conveniently next to Quero’s in the spring clubhouse. Throwing is the biggest hurdle ahead, which would be true for any catcher but especially one like Quero whose arm was hailed as one of his best assets.

The club’s hope, Murphy said, is that Quero will be able to catch in Cactus League games before the end of camp. That would put him on track to begin the Minor League season on time or close to it. And that would position Quero to be an option for the big leagues if needed later in the season.

“He is a mature guy. He just has to keep healthy, because everybody trusts what he has up here,” said Brewers director of international player evaluation Luis Pérez, pointing to his head.

Then there’s the production. Quero has posted a .795 OPS in four professional seasons as one of the youngest players in each league he’s appeared. He made it to High-A Wisconsin at age 19, Double-A Biloxi at 20 and Triple-A Nashville at 21, where he was more than five years younger than league average. Unfortunately, his season at Nashville was cut short after one plate appearance.

Now, a little more patience is required. Quero has been forced to exercise a lot of that over the past 10 months.

“It was a little complicated. What I wanted to be doing was be out there playing, but from the day that it happened, I’ve had the day that I wanted to return to play circled,” he said. “That was what motivated me and kept me going, to keep looking forward to being back in playing shape.”