Luis Urias

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #3 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: The Padres purchased Urias' rights from Mexico City for $100,000 when he was 16 in a deal facilitated by club owner Alfredo Harp Helu, a minority stakeholder in the Padres. Urias wasted no time validating the deal. He won the California League batting title and MVP award as a 19 year old, represented Mexico in the World Baseball Classic the following spring and led the Texas League in on-base percentage in his age-20 season. Last year Urias hit a team-best .298 at Triple-A El Paso, started the Futures Game, and made his major league debut at 21.
  
  Scouting Report: Urias has the gifts of a potential .300 hitter. Short but mighty, the 5-foot-9 Urias takes advantage of his compact strike zone with a quick, level swing that produces hard line drives to all fields. He has an elite eye and rarely chases, forcing pitchers to come to him and punishing hittable pitches when they do. Urias' build and swing aren't conducive to home runs, but with his quick bat he can square up a fastball and drive it out when he finds a ball where he wants it. Defensively, Urias is an above-average second baseman with sure hands, clean footwork and an impressive vertical leap to go with an above-average arm. He can fill in as an average shortstop, although his range there is stretched.
  
  The Future: Urias' pure stroke and elite eye give him a chance to contend for batting titles at his peak. He'll be the Padres everyday second baseman in 2019.
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  Ranked San Diego Padres #6 prospect in 2018
  The Padres purchased Urias' rights from the Mexican League's Mexico City franchise when he was 16 and got a better player than they even imagined. Urias hit .330 to win the high Class A California League batting title and MVP award in 2016 and parlayed that into a spot on Team Mexico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic as a 19-year-old. An ankle injury in late-July 2017 shelved him for three weeks and affected him when he returned, knocking him out of the Texas League batting title race, yet he still won the league's on-base percentage crown (.398) at age 20. Urias rarely expands his strike zone, forcing pitchers to come to him. When they do he uses his elite hand-eye coordination and quick swing to drive all types of pitches on a line into the outfield. Though he doesn't elevate for home runs, he makes consistent hard contact with exit velocities in line with Yoan Moncada, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and other top prospects. He rarely swings and misses, and projects as a true plus-plus hitter. Defensively, Urias is an athletic, plus second baseman with reliable hands, excellent footwork and an impressive vertical leap. He has an above-average arm. The Padres made Urias the starting shortstop at Double-A San Antonio the first half of the season and he progressively improved there, ultimately drawing a few plus grades from evaluators as a defender at short in the Arizona Fall League. His lateral range is better suited for second base. Even so, it is Urias' special bat that separates him. He has a chance to win batting titles down the road and is the Padres' long-term second baseman of the future with Fernando Tatis Jr. ticketed for shortstop. Triple-A El Paso awaits Urias in 2018.
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  Ranked San Diego Padres #6 prospect in 2017
  The Padres purchased Urias from the Mexican League's Mexico City franchise when he 16, intrigued by his bat control and plate discipline. He has rewarded that interest by posting a career .317 career average in the minors with more walks than strikeouts. Urias' foundation for success is his approach. He rarely swings at anything outside the strike zone, forcing pitchers to come to him. When they do, his quick hands and elite hand-eye coordination allow him to barrel any velocity, while those same tools allow him to track breaking balls and square them up as well. Using those attributes as his base, Urias hit .330 at high Class A Lake Elsinore in 2016 to win the California League batting title and MVP award despite being the circuit's youngest player on Opening Day. He faces questions about his below-average speed and power, though he showed progress on the latter front by slugging .505 in the second half of 2016 by staying back and driving the ball rather than settling for line-drive singles. Defensively he is above-average at second base with soft hands and excellent footwork, with an above-average arm strong enough to make throws from deep in the hole at shortstop. His range is best suited for second base. Urias resembles 16-year big league vet Placido Polanco in terms of size and skill set, and he has perennial .300-hitting ability to match. He will begin 2017 at Double-A San Antonio.
• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #29 prospect in 2016
  The Padres purchased Urias' rights from the Mexico City Red Devils in 2013 when he was just 16 years old. It didn't take long for him to impress. After just 10 at-bats in the Dominican Summer League in 2014, Urias enticed the Padres to send him to the U.S., where he hit .310 in the Rookie-level Arizona League with more walks (18) than strikeouts (13) despite a lack of power. Of Urias' 116 hits since signing, just 13 have gone for extra bases. He has a contact-oriented approach, striking out just 7 percent of the time. He hit his way to low Class A Fort Wayne after just 31 at-bats at short-season Tri-City. Urias supplanted Fort Wayne teammate Ruddy Giron as the youngest player in the Midwest League. Scouts believe Urias eventually will fill out and be able to impact the ball, though he'll always have below-average power. They like the way he controls the zone and believe he will be an above-average hitter. Urias' arm is average but good enough for second base, where he can be an above-average defender because he has good hands and excellent footwork. He has been compared with Marco Scutaro for his makeup and intelligence.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Pacific Coast League #10 prospect in 2019
  Urias hit .315 with a career-high 19 home runs before moving to the majors for good July 20. While his numbers excited, Urias’ swing got longer as he chased power and was exposed in the majors. Urias’ defensive projections, on the other hand, ticked up as he played more shortstop. He drew above-average grades there and was voted the PCL’s best defensive shortstop by league managers. "He has good instincts and feel for the game for his age,” Sacramento manager Dave Brundage said. "And he’s only going to get better.” Urias’ youth, feel to hit and athleticism left evaluators optimistic he’s still a future everyday player, but only if he shortens his swing and adjusts his approach.
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  Ranked Pacific Coast League #3 prospect in 2018
  The PCL’s youngest everyday player on Opening Day, Urias experienced offensive peaks and valleys but still ranked in the top 10 in the league in runs (fourth), hits (fifth), on-base percentage (sixth) and doubles (ninth) before his Aug. 28 callup. Armed with a keen eye and supreme hand-eye coordination, Urias set out to hit for more power this season and set new career highs in doubles, triples and home runs. His search for added pop got him in trouble at times when his leg kick got out of whack mechanically—affecting his timing and balance and resulting in an uptick in strikeouts—but he eventually made the proper adjustments and batted .420 in August. “He’s got a nice approach at the plate,” Memphis manager Stubby Clapp said. “Went up with a plan and executed. He’d wait for his pitch to hit. You didn’t see him out front very much and didn’t see him chasing.” Urias got a tick faster as well, which improved his range defensively at second base and solidified him as an above-average defender there. He was also reliable in stints at shortstop and grew more comfortable playing third base.
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  Ranked Texas League #5 prospect in 2017
  One of the youngest position players in the TL, Urias finished with more walks (68) than strikeouts (65) for the fourth consecutive season. He hit .296 and his walk rate improved to 13 percent, a career best. With a career slugging percentage of .396, the 5-foot-9, 160-pound Urias will never provide much power, but his feel for the strike zone and bat-to-ball skills are advanced, leaving one TL manager to describe him as someone who could "flat out hit." Splitting time between second base and shortstop with an above-average arm and above-average range, Urias held his own at both positions. The emergence of 18-year old shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who ended his season alongside Urias in San Antonio, gives the Padres one of the top middle-infield duos in the minors.
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  Ranked California League #3 prospect in 2016
  Despite being the youngest player in the league on Opening Day, Urias won the Cal League batting title with a .330 average, was the hardest batter to strike out and also won the circuit's MVP award. League managers overwhelmingly named Urias the best batting prospect in Best Tools balloting because of his elite bat control and advanced approach. "He has the ability to put the barrel on the ball no matter what pitch--breaking ball, changeup, whatever,v Inland Empire manager Chad Tracy said. " You just hope it's hit right at somebody. That was a not a guy you enjoy seeing at the plate." Urias' reliable hands and excellent footwork earned him multiple votes for best defensive second baseman as well. He also showed an above-average arm strong enough to make throws from deep in the hole at shortstop when pressed into action there.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #31 prospect in 2019
• Ranked Baseball America's #32 prospect in 2018

• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Urias hit .315 with a career-high 19 home runs before moving to the majors for good July 20. While his numbers excited, Urias’ swing got longer as he chased power and was exposed in the majors. Urias’ defensive projections, on the other hand, ticked up as he played more shortstop. He drew above-average grades there and was voted the PCL’s best defensive shortstop by league managers. "He has good instincts and feel for the game for his age,” Sacramento manager Dave Brundage said. "And he’s only going to get better.” Urias’ youth, feel to hit and athleticism left evaluators optimistic he’s still a future everyday player, but only if he shortens his swing and adjusts his approach.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Urias has battled keeping his leg kick under control at times this season, sending his strikeout rate up, but he has found his groove recently. He’s getting on base at a .392 clip as the youngest everyday player in Triple-A and TrackMan data shows him hitting the ball harder than ever. Defensively Urias is playing both middle infield spots well, showing above-average at second base and average at shortstop. When Urias is at his best, he still has all the ingredients of a future premium hitter.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Padres purchased Urias' rights from the Mexican League's Mexico City franchise when he was 16 and got a better player than they even imagined. He hit .330 to win the high Class A California League batting title and MVP award in 2016. An ankle injury in late-July 2017 shelved him for three weeks, yet he still won the Double-A Texas League on-base percentage crown (.398) at age 20. Scouting Report: Urias rarely expands his strike zone, forcing pitchers to come to him. When they do he uses his elite hand-eye coordination and quick swing to drive all types of pitches on a line to the outfield. Though he doesn't elevate for home runs, he makes consistent hard contact with exit velocities in line with Yoan Moncada, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and other top prospects. He rarely swings and misses, and projects as a true plus-plus hitter. Defensively Urias is an athletic, above-average second baseman with reliable hands, excellent footwork and an impressive vertical leap. He has an above-average arm and is capable of filling in at shortstop. The Future: Urias has a chance to win batting titles down the road and is the Padres' second baseman of the future. Triple-A El Paso awaits in 2018.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: The Padres purchased Urias from the Mexican League's Mexico City franchise when he 16, intrigued by his bat control and plate discipline. He has rewarded that interest by posting a career .317 career average in the minors with more walks than strikeouts. Scouting Report: Urias' foundation for success is his approach. He rarely swings at anything outside the strike zone, forcing pitchers to come to him. When they do, his quick hands and elite hand-eye coordination allow him to barrel any velocity, while those same tools allow him to track breaking balls and square them up as well. Using those attributes as his base, Urias hit .330 at high Class A Lake Elsinore in 2016 to win the California League batting title and MVP award despite being the circuit's youngest player on Opening Day. He faces questions about his below-average speed and power, though he showed progress on the latter front by slugging .505 in the second half of 2016. Defensively he is above-average at second base with soft hands and excellent footwork, with an above-average arm strong enough to make throws from deep in the hole at shortstop. His range is best suited for second base.
  
  The Future: Urias resembles 16-year big league vet Placido Polanco in terms of frame and skill set, and he has perennial .300-hitting ability to match. He will begin 2017 at Double-A.