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© St. Petersburg Times, published August 17, 2002
Guillermo Quiroz was not in a favorable position.
A catcher with the Blue Jays, Quiroz belonged to an organization stocked with talented young backstops.
Three of the Blue Jays' top 10 prospects, according to Baseball America, are catchers Josh Phelps, Jayson Werth and Kevin Cash.
So for Quiroz, a native of Venezuela who signed for a $1.2-million bonus in 1998, the road to the majors had some formidable barriers.
But in the past month, his path has become more clear.
Phelps, an Alaska native rated the Blue Jays' top prospect by the magazine, was called up to Toronto in July. Werth, who also plays first base and outfield, has had knee problems that have limited his catching opportunities. And Cash possibly broke a bone in his throwing hand and was put on the disabled list Wednesday for the rest of the season. After playing most of the season for Dunedin, Quiroz was promoted to take Cash's place at Triple-A Syracuse.
A Florida State League All-Star, Quiroz batted .260 for Dunedin and led the team with 28 doubles. He also ranked second on the team with 12 home runs, 68 RBIs and a .421 on-base percentage.
Quiroz is strong behind the plate, too. Baseball America rated him the 15th-best catcher in the minor leagues with the third-best arm, evidenced by the 30 runners he has thrown out this season.
Taking over for Quiroz at Dunedin is Casey Martinez, who was promoted from Class A Charleston. Martinez was batting .326 with 13 RBIs in 29 games.