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Luis Urias 2020 Outlook: Intriguing Upside For An Endgame Selection
5 years agoLuis Urias didn't accomplish much in his big league time with the Padres last season, slashing just .223/.329/.326 with four homers in 249 PAs. However, there is some justification for mild optimism here. Urias posted a 10% walk rate last season thanks to a plus eye (26.8% chase rate), a figure that likely has room to grow if he can convince big league pitchers that he represents any kind of threat. He also has plus contact skills, earning a 65 future hit grade on the 20-80 scouting scale from the FanGraphs prospect team and a 70-grade from Baseball Savant. Urias generally hit .290 or better on the farm, and his 27.2 ft./sec Statcast Sprint Speed could support 8-10 steals as well. Urias doesn't project for any power at all, so he's probably a batting average and runs play at best. The 22-year-old will also have to beat out incumbent Orlando Arcia for playing time and then earn a spot toward the top of Milwaukee's batting order, but represents a nice upside play considering that his cost (308.77 ADP) is far from prohibitive. Add in positional versatility (25 appearances at 2B, 40 at SS), and you get a nice endgame selection.
