This week’s newsletter lead comes from my MLB.com colleague Ben Weinrib. NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Jeferson Quero’s road back to the field has been long and winding, but the Brewers’ No. 2 prospect is happy with his progress now that he’s finally able to consistently play with Triple-A Nashville. The catching phenom walked in his only plate appearance last season before sustaining a torn labrum in his right shoulder when he dove back to first base, which required season-ending surgery. A hamstring strain in Spring Training delayed his 2025 debut in the Arizona Complex League until May 12, keeping him away from the Sounds until June. Missing so much time has been hard for the 22-year-old, who ranks as MLB’s No. 34 prospect. While rehabbing from shoulder surgery, Quero wasn’t able to hit -- or do much of anything -- for months, and he had to create new routines and mindsets after the layoff. “Man, after you don’t play for a full year, when I started hitting, I tried to do the thing I did before the injury, and I didn’t find myself. I was hitting, but I didn’t find myself,” Quero said. “I did a lot of things, and now I found myself, found a new [version] of me. It's a hard way, and you have to learn about that, and now I feel more strong mentally.” |
Twelve staples in his shoulder and months without being able to move his arm forced Quero to become stronger mentally. He needed 12 days before he was able to bathe himself. His dad came to Arizona, where Quero was rehabbing, and helped cook his favorite foods. While unable to play, the Venezuela native worked on getting his body back into shape and slowly but surely rebuilt his power, strength and mobility. Now that he’s back, he’s eager to make up for lost time. After picking up just two hits in his first six rehab games at the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, Quero got things rolling with 11 knocks in his final five contests. Five of those 13 hits were home runs, all the more impressive as he continues to regain his strength. Quero has been steady in his return to Nashville, with hits in 12 of his 17 contests. The shoulder injury remains on his mind, although it’s fading by the day. In those 17 games, he’s caught nine times and served as the designated hitter in the others, including a planned stretch of DH games last week to give his arm a break. He was back behind the plate on Saturday. |
“When I started my throwing program, it was hard because I [felt] pain, I [felt] uncomfortable,” Quero said. “But when the days pass, the weeks pass, the months pass, I feel better. And now, I feel great to play every day.” Prior to the injury, Quero projected for decent power, although it hasn’t yet manifested against Triple-A pitching. His 90th percentile exit velocity (100.7 mph) ranks in the 17th percentile at the level, and his max EV (104.6) is in the eighth percentile. His only extra-base hits are a trio of doubles. The good news is that Quero’s contact levels are elite. He has no trouble against fastballs (88.9 percent contact rate) or secondary pitches (85.5 percent) and ranks in the 96th percentile of contact rate over expected. And although he swings more often (51.5 percent) than the Triple-A average (46.2), particularly on pitches out of the zone (35.7 vs. 27.2), he's walking (nine times) more than he's striking out (eight). Of course, Quero’s calling card is elite defense behind the plate, so his arm strength bears watching, particularly as the injury to his throwing shoulder fades from his memory. Sounds manager Rick Sweet said he has already noticed an uptick in velocity since Quero first reported to Nashville, and opponents haven’t tested him much, with six stolen bases in nine attempts in nine games behind the plate. |
The Brewers aren’t expecting progress to be linear. Milwaukee is giving Quero ample starts at DH to give him breathers, especially as Nashville deals with a heat wave, as making sure he makes it through the full season healthy is their top priority. Quero is a special talent; Sweet has been able to see as much mere weeks into working with him. “I hear all the hype and all of it, but I am overly impressed with his maturity at handling pitchers, handling the game, handling umpires. He's really done a good job,” Sweet said. “The biggest thing is you know what pitches they have, but you don't know how they act and what they do, so you don't know how to incorporate it into the game plan all the time. But the more he catches these guys, the better he gets it, and he's a quick learner.” |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
MADE MAKES FUTURES GAME ROSTER |
J.J. Hardy, Alcides Escobar, Orlando Arcia and Cooper Pratt all played in the All-Star Futures game, and now, another highly touted Brewers shortstop prospect is on the way. Jesús Made (Brewers No. 1 prospect, No. 18 overall) was the organization’s lone selection for this year’s showcase, which is part of All-Star Week in Atlanta next month. Made, who just turned 18 on May 8, is more than holding his own in the Class A Carolina league, with a .283/.390/.421 slash line and 33 stolen bases through 64 games. He’s part of a prospect-packed Mudcats roster that includes fellow Top 100 prospect Luis Peña (MLB Pipeline No. 95 and last year’s top Brewers Draft pick, Braylon Payne. |
|
|
DATE SET FOR AXFORD WALL OF HONOR |
The Brewers announced in January that mustachioed former closer John Axford would be inducted into the Wall of Honor this summer, and now there’s a date: Aug. 23. His contributions will be recognized on-field with a video and ceremonial first pitch that evening when the Crew takes on the Giants at 6:10 p.m. CT. The Wall of Honor is an installation outside American Family Field that recognizes players who had long tenures with the Brewers, won awards or made other contributions. It’s separate from the Walk of Fame, as explained here. |
|
|
FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW |
|
|
To subscribe to Brewers Beat, visit this page and mark "Brewers Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Brewers or that they're checked as your favorite team. |
|
|
|
