4.22.25 Catcher News Clippings
Edgar Quero and Agustin Ramirez make their MLB debut
Before we move into the standard Catcher News Clippings this week, we need to dig into two well-known catcher prospects that have made their big-league debuts.
The White Sox called up Edgar Quero (Chicago’s #6 prospect and the #9 catching prospect per MILB rankings) on April 16 and he debuted on April 17.
He went hitless in his first game but then doubled in the next two games.
Then, during Saturday’s game against Boston, Quero had a clutch two-run single in a pinch-hit appearance to lead the White Sox past the Red Sox (6:50 mark below).
I was surprised that Quero made his major league debut before the other highly regarded White Sox catcher prospect, Kyle Teel, for a few reasons.
Teel was ranked higher as a prospect (Chicago’s #2 prospect and the #3 catching prospect per MILB rankings) and is almost two years older than Quero. He is also better defensively than Quero and had a slightly higher fielding percentage, range factor per 9 innings, and more putouts than Quero in the same amount of games played at catcher in 2024.
In addition, Teel was also one of the big pieces in the Garrett Crochet trade so you’d think the White Sox would be eager to show off the return for the budding ace Crochet.
Nonetheless, it was Quero who got the first crack at the majors after slashing .333/.444/.412 in 15 Triple-A games to begin the season. Compare that to Teel, who has struggled at Triple-A hitting .214 with 25 strikeouts in 19 games, and it makes more sense.
In the end, I still expect that Teel will make his major league debut this season and am not worried about his early season struggles. Both Quero and Teel will be viable options in fantasy baseball, and I’d even consider adding Quero right now.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see one of them move to a different position to accommodate both their bats in the White Sox lineup, so they may not always maintain their catcher eligibility.
The other catcher making his debut is the Marlins’ #4 prospect Agustin Ramirez. Ramirez was sent to the Marlins from the Yankees in the Jazz Chisholm trade. He is as complete a hitter as Quero is, but he does possess more top-end power.
Ramirez debuted last night and knocked out two hits, going 2-3 with a double, a run, and a stolen base. The steal in his very first game is interesting as it shows that Ramirez’s willingness to chase steals could continue at the big-league level, despite a lack of game changing speed - his speed graded out at a below average 30 in his official MiLB.com scouting profile.
Despite this, Ramirez completed a 20/20 season in 2024 across 126 minor league games in the Yankees and Marlins systems (58 games in Double-A and 68 games in Triple-A). He finished the season with a .267/.358/.487 slash line and 25 home runs, 93 RBI, and 22 steals. He was only caught stealing twice.
I liked Ramirez as a pre-season sleeper as he didn’t have to show much to move past the other Marlins catchers on the roster (Nick Fortes and Liam Hicks). However, Ramirez is not great defensively behind the plate, so that could limit his playing time, and he could be another player that eventually moves to first base or DH starts.
If you’re struggling at the catcher position or have an injured catcher, Ramirez would be worth picking up if you have roster space. If you’re set at catcher, monitor Ramirez’s first couple of weeks in the majors before adding him.
Catcher News Clippings
Cincinnati’s backup catcher Austin Wynns had the game of his life over the weekend against the Orioles. Wynns went 6-7 with a home run and six RBI in Cincinnati’s 24-2 blowout victory over Baltimore.
Carson Kelly continued his season long tear over the past week, with a huge game against the Diamondbacks on 4/18. Kelly went 2-4, blasting two home runs and knocking in five RBI. This brings his season average up to .371 and a total of six home runs and 18 RBI. The longer he continues this, it gets harder and harder to call it a fluke. He’s officially played himself into the top-15 of my rankings and is someone to add if you need a boost at catcher.
Cal Raleigh moves up to #3 in the rankings with a monster week where he hit four home runs and knocked in eight RBI. He’s now hitting .244 on the season and leads all catchers with nine home runs, which also puts him into a first-place tie for the MLB lead in home runs. There is no denying Raleigh’s power and if he continues at this pace, he could end up as the top fantasy catcher by the end of the season.
Yainer Diaz continues his ice-cold start to the year as he has hit .190 over the past week. This leaves his season average at .149 with one home run and seven RBI. It is probably time to bench him if you have an alternate catcher to start om your roster. Don’t give up on Diaz quite yet, but I would start thinking about if a change needs to be made.
Waiver Wire Pick of the Week
This is a short section this week as we covered Edgar Quero and Agustin Ramirez in detail at the beginning. I would put Quero as #1A top waiver wire pick of the week, with Ramirez close behind at #1B.
Catcher Rankings
Carson Kelly and Cal Raleigh are the top risers this week.
1. William Contreras
2. Adley Rutschman
3. Cal Raleigh (up 2)
4. Will Smith
5. Yainer Diaz
6. Salvador Perez
7. J.T. Realmuto
8. Logan O’Hoppe
9. Shea Langeliers
10. Keibert Ruiz
11. Carson Kelly (up 9)
12. Austin Wells
13. Willson Contreras
14. Gabriel Moreno
15. Sean Murphy
16. Joey Bart
17. Jonah Heim
18. Hunter Goodman
19. Alejandro Kirk
20. Dillon Dingler
On the bubble:
Edgar Quero, Agustin Ramirez, Tyler Heineman, Jose Trevino
Dropped out:
Pedro Pages, Patrick Bailey
