Toronto Blue Jays top 10 prospects for 2018
8. Richard Urena, SS
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 2/26/96 (22)
2017 teams/levels played for: AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats, MLB Toronto Blue Jays
2017 Stats: .247/.286/.359, 551 PA, 5 HR, 30/100 BB/K; MLB: .206/.270/.309, 75 PA, 1 HR, 1 SB, 6/28 BB/K
Info: Urena coming into the season was a top-100 caliber player, but while his defense continued to show well at shortstop, where he has some of the best reactions you’ll see, allowing him to stay at short in spite of below-average speed.
His aggressive approach at the plate led to a wall in 2017, as he seemed to be at the will of advanced level pitchers, who could pitch around his aggressive approach, and get him to roll over a “pitcher’s pitch”. He is a switch hitter and can really get to the gap well from the left side, but he has to get the barrel on the ball first.
Urena has the hands and instincts to stick up the middle, and he’s young enough that he’ll get more chances, but he’s gone from one of the top prospects in the game to a guy who is clinging on to the bottom of the Jays top 10 this winter.
7. Lourdes Gourriel, 2B/SS
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 10/19/93 (24)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Dunedin Blue Jays, AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats
2017 Stats: .229/.268/.339, 254 PA, 5 HR, 3 SB, 12/43 BB/K
Info: A stat line like that from a 24 year old with a half-season in AA typically wouldn’t be cause for a ranking in a top 10 list as that’s usually the line you’d see from an org guy, not a future possible starter. However, Gourriel is not your typical 24 year old.
This past season was Gourriel’s first in the major leagues after signing in the offseason. There were some significant concerns about his ability to handle pro pitching well in his first year after essentially being forced away from the game for all of 2016. Those concerns proved to be founded.
Gourriel comes from Cuban baseball royalty, as his father is one of the elites in the history of the game in Cuba. Lourdes was playing in Serie Nacional at 16 years old, and in his final season at age 21, hit .344/.407/.560 with 10 home runs in just 59 games.
Gourriel comes from Cuban baseball royalty, as his father is one of the elites in the history of the game in Cuba.
After Lourdes and his brother Yuli defected, there were significant concerns about their safety due to their family’s prestigious place within the Cuban baseball community. While Yuli had left the country previously to play professionally in Japan, this was Lourdes’ first venture outside of the country, and some were worried that he could have outside interests that may want to endanger his life.
Lourdes has the arm to handle short and the instincts to stick up the middle defensively, and he showed well with the glove in the Arizona Fall League.
His adjustment to pro pitching was less smooth for sure, but even in Arizona he was beginning to put very good wood on the ball and flashed that top end athleticism that made him highly desired when he left the country.
It wouldn’t surprise at all if he repeated AA to open 2018,and now that he’s finally healthy and got a year back under his belt again, he could really take off.
Next: #5 and #6