San Diego Padres scouting report on IF Luis Urias
Scouting Report
Size/Build
Urias is listed at 5’9″ tall and 185 pounds. Both of those look about right, with an athletic build on his frame overall.
Hitting
Contact (60) – Few in the minior leagues have a more adept ability to put the meat of the bat on the ball in their swing. Urias seems to barrel everything he swings at, though his lack of strength in his frame does keep him from generating the same type of contact off the bat in that situation as someone like Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.
Power (40) – Urias is built narrow in the shoulders and hips, and his long frame could lead you to believe he’s taller than he truly is, but he does use his legs and especially his arms in leverage in his swing, but there’s just only so much he can access there. He should pound gaps, but I would imagine double-digit home runs would be stretch.
Eye (65) – One of the most remarkable things about Urias from the moment he came into pro ball has been how advanced his eye is. He has the ability to recognize spin and tremendous zone recognition. His contact-oriented approach means he won’t likely ever put up 100 walks in a year, but it’s unlikely he’ll ever have big strikeout numbers either.
Base Running/Fielding
Speed (55) – At top speed, Urias is certainly a plus runner, but he does take a couple steps to get to that top speed. While in the field, his instincts cover up that initial quickness issue, on the bases, he’s not instinctual on when to take off on a stolen base. He is certainly an asset on the bases once the ball is hit, however, reading the ball well and knowing when to take an extra base.
Defense (60) – Urias has tremendous instincts, and his range would work at either short or second. As a pure second baseman, Urias is probably a notch up on this grade, while as a shortstop, he’s probably a notch down, so putting him at a straight “plus” grade is probably the best way to put it. On top of having excellent reads on either side of the keystone, he also has good instincts at third base. No matter where he plays around the infield, he scoops up everything hit his way that he gets to with very sure hands.
Arm (55) – While he’s likely a second baseman long-term due to his arm, it’s not because his arm is weak by any means. It’s just not a big league shortstop arm over a long range. He does well setting up for his throws, however, and that allows him to handle third base as well.