Murphy crowns Quero 'maybe my favorite prospect that¡¯s ever been with the Brewers'

PHOENIX -- It¡¯s time for MLB Pipeline's top Brewers prospect Jeferson Quero to continue his difficult comeback from last year¡¯s shoulder surgery in Minor League camp, but Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy doesn't hide how highly he regards the 22-year-old catcher.

Quero, who missed all of last season after shredding his throwing shoulder on a dive back into first base on Opening Day at Triple-A Nashville, was one of seven players involved in the latest round of camp cuts on Monday morning.

¡°You guys know that Jeferson Quero is maybe my favorite prospect that¡¯s ever been with the Brewers,¡± said Murphy, who is going into his 10th season in the organization. ¡°Having to come back from such a serious injury is daunting, but I believe that if anyone can do it, he can do it. Not too many guys are throwing well with 12 staples in their shoulder, but I¡¯ve been assured that it can be done and I¡¯m banking on him.¡±

Quero was optioned to Triple-A Nashville along with right-handers Grant Anderson, Logan Henderson and Carlos Rodriguez and left-hander Grant Wolfram.

The Brewers also reassigned outfielder Jared Oliva and catcher Ram¨®n Rodriguez to Minor League camp.

Quero will be ready to hit for Nashville at the start of the season, Murphy said, but might not catch much in the early going. Because of the extent of the surgery to repair Quero¡¯s torn labrum and other damage in the shoulder, and because his throwing arm was among his best assets, the comeback loosely mirrors that of a pitcher who must relearn his mechanics. In some ways, it¡¯s actually more difficult, said Brewers bullpen coach and organizational catching guru Charlie Greene.

¡°The catcher has to make reactive throws from all different angles,¡± Greene said. ¡°It¡¯s sidearm throws, it¡¯s off-balance. He¡¯s not in control of everything, where a pitcher is more in control of his delivery. Quero has to play the cards he¡¯s dealt on every pitch and throw from there. It¡¯s going to be a process, and he¡¯s come a long way since January when I saw him out here.¡±

¡°It¡¯s a process that doesn¡¯t just go like this,¡± Murphy said, moving his hand with a steady upward trajectory. ¡°He¡¯s had a great attitude the whole way through, as good as you can expect from anyone ¨C or better than you can expect from anyone.¡±

What ingredients make Quero so special in Murphy¡¯s analysis?

¡°I¡¯m not good at articulating what I know,¡± Murphy said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of like when you¡¯re around Sal [Frelick] for the first time, you just know what you know. It just smells right, how he handles a game, how he goes through drills in last year¡¯s camp, how he approaches the game.

¡°If this kid gets his throwing back to 70 percent, we have a good big leaguer. If he gets it back all the way, we have an All-Star.¡±