CHICAGO ¨C The Quero family phones quickly and collectively switched to video mode when White Sox catcher Edgar Quero ran out behind the plate to catch Davis Martin¡¯s first pitch of the White Sox 8-0 loss to the Athletics, ending a three-game sweep at Rate Field.
Seated in Section 132, Row 24, wearing Quero jerseys and situated straight up from home plate, were Edgar¡¯s mother Miladys Aguila, his father Yoel, his sister, Sugenlys, his niece, Emily, his cousin, Angel, and of course, his wife, Maira. They were filled with pride, excitement and appreciation of a journey beginning even before they came from Cienfuegos, Cuba to the Dominican Republic in 2019 or when they moved to the United States after Edgar signed with the Angels on Feb. 26, 2021.
¡°We are very happy, very emotional and thankful,¡± said Miladys through Elvin Soto, who is Edgar¡¯s agent. ¡°We always have known his commitment to baseball. He didn¡¯t grow up like normal teenagers: Baseball has been his entire life. But I¡¯ve always known his effort and how bad he wanted this.¡±
Quero, the White Sox No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, received the news of his promotion pregame Wednesday from Sergio Santos, who not only expertly manages the Triple-A Charlotte squad but has quickly become the arbiter of Minor League dreams come true. For further proof, ask Chase Meidroth, who got the same message one week ago from Santos.
This moment of joy for Quero was captured by the White Sox, just as it was with Meidroth. Quero, who was seated next to bench coach Angel Rosario, received praise for his outstanding game preparation and his strong early work before being told of his next destination.
At that point, emotions overtook Quero. His family felt the same way when they received the news.
¡°I was at work when Edgar gave me the call,¡± said Yoel through Soto. ¡°I just started crying. I know the struggle Edgar has had to come up to this point and he finally gets to reach his goal, making it to the big leagues. It was just an emotional day for him.¡±
¡°He called and was pretty casual ... ¡®Hey what are you doing?¡¯¡± said Miladys, who was in Arizona Wednesday. ¡°I said ¡®I¡¯m just packing up the house so I can head back home.¡¯ And then he said, ¡®Well pack your bags because you are coming to Chicago.¡¯ I was at a loss for words.¡±
Southpaw JP Sears was Quero¡¯s first mound opponent, and in his first plate appearance, coming in the second inning with Lenyn Sosa on first and one out, he was hit by a 1-2 slider. Quero¡¯s next at-bat was a line drive out to right in the fourth, followed by a line drive to reliever Noah Murdock leading off the seventh, snagged by the right-hander behind his back, and a swinging strikeout to open the ninth.
But as important as Quero¡¯s offensive component will be, it¡¯s his defense and presence behind the plate getting him to the Majors and keeping him there. Framing has been a target area for Quero since the offseason.
¡°It¡¯s pretty important for me and the team, because that¡¯s what I want. I want to help the pitchers to win games,¡± Quero said. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡±
¡°He¡¯s a great, great hitter,¡± said White Sox starter Sean Burke of Quero. ¡°And last year, I saw how hard he worked at the defensive side of catching. I saw how much he cared. This is going to be my first time throwing to him again since last year. I¡¯m excited to start working with him again.¡±
Thursday¡¯s setback extended the White Sox losing streak to four straight, as they fell to an American League-worst 4-14 overall. The offense has scored eight runs combined over the last five games since pushing across 11 in a victory this past Friday.
Although the White Sox are striving to be better, this season is not as much about wins and losses as it is about player development during the rebuild. Quero is the latest entry, with his mom hoping for the best for his son before this memorable debut.
¡°Obviously my expectation is hopefully he hits a home run, but I¡¯m just really happy and want him to enjoy the day and enjoy the moment,¡± Miladys said. ¡°He really, really loves baseball.¡±
¡°It¡¯s just a game, the first game,¡± Quero said. ¡°I was just trying to have fun over there and play hard. It was a really good experience, happy to be here.¡±