Jose Carlos Urena Stats & Scouting Report

AB	32
AVG	.344
OBP	.512
SLG	.5
HR	1

Full name Jose Carlos Urena
Born 01/14/1995 in Ciudad Obregon, SON, Mexico
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: R / Throws: R

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Urena was a teammate of Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna on Mexico's 16U COPABE Pan American Championships team in 2010 that lost to Team USA in the championship game. The Padres purchased Urena's rights a year later from the Mexico City Red Devils of the Mexican League for $550,000. After a poor 2014 season, he bounced back in a big way at short-season Tri-City in 2015 by leading the Northwest League in walks (47) and finishing among the league leaders with seven homers and 45 RBIs. Urena has a good feel for the game, a good approach at the plate and plus raw power generated by quick hands. He showed much improved plate discipline in 2015 with a confidence to spit on offspeed pitches he used to chase. A fringe-average runner, he moves well enough laterally to be an average defender in right field. He has an above-average arm but a slow release. He will advance to low Class A Fort Wayne.
The Padres purchased the rights of the 17-year-old Urena from the Mexican League in August 2011, sending $550,000 to Mexico City for the strong-framed, righthanded hitter. He led the Rookie-level Arizona League with nine home runs in 2013, and among the system's lower-level prospects he may have the most power, owing to quick hands, above-average present strength and high rate of hard contact. Scouts give him a chance to hit for average because he can drive the ball to the off field. Urena played a lot of left field in the AZL, though the Padres view him as a right fielder long term, based on average range and solid-average arm strength. A slow release negatively affects how his arm plays, and he's a below-average runner. Urena will bat in the middle of the order at low Class A Fort Wayne in 2014.

Minor League Top Prospects

Urena, who signed for $550,000, is another product of the Padres? rich 2011 international class. He led the AZL with nine homers in his first season in the U.S., while finishing third in both RBIs and slugging. Urena has a good feel for the game, a good approach at the plate and plus raw power, though he struggles with good offspeed pitches. His swing is strong at the point of contact and he drives balls with authority. He has a projectable body and could add more power as he gets stronger. Urena was a slightly below average defender at the beginning of the year, but he showed improvement during the course of the season. His slow transfer and release tend to mitigate his strong arm. Urena split time at both outfield corners and may be able to handle right field when he improves his throwing technique. He has slightly below-average speed, but he?s not a baseclogger.