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MMN Top 80 Prospects, #13 3B Jhoan Urena

By Teddy Klein

March 2, 2016 9 Comments

brooklyneagle.com

brooklyneagle.com

We’ve been running the redemption line between yesterday’s Gabriel Ynoa and this piece on Jhoan Urena, and likely going to write a few more on the “please don’t give up this guy juuust yet” lines for a few of our top prospects entering the top part of the MMN top 80. However, I am going to present to you one guy who I swear had a year to forget for my #13th best prospect on the MMN Top 80. I truly believe he has the potential to be a possible heir to David Wright. I had already written him up as a breakout candidate for 2016.

3B Jhoan Urena

Ht: 6’1″ Wt: 200 Level: Gulf Coast League & St. Lucie A+ B/T: S/R Age: 9/1/1994 (21) Age Dif: -2.6

Acquired: International Free Agent, 2011 out of the Dominican Republic

Statistics: 69 G, 241 PA, 225 AB, 50 H, 6 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 3 SB, 15 BB, 40 K .222/.274/.302

A bonus baby from the Dominican Republic, Jhoan Urena is someone to really keep tabs this year despite a terrible showing last year. Before he got to High-A St. Lucie, Urena was starting to carve out an interesting career as an offensive 3rd Baseman.


As 17 year old in the Dominican Summer League, Urena hit .279/.330/.405 with 4 home runs in 64 games earning himself consideration to go stateside. His next year in Rookie League Gulf Coast, he hit .299/.351/.376 in 47 games with some gap power.

Where Urena really started to get noticed was when he played in Brooklyn as a 19 year old in 2014, playing every game (75) and hit .300/.356/.431 with five home runs. This earned him midseason honors to the all-star squad as one of the younger players in a league that usually exhibits players that come out of college. His performance and advanced bat earned him the consideration to jump a level from Short-Season A-ball to High-A St. Lucie.

However, poor Jhoan just didn’t have a good year. He started out pretty poorly, hitting .229/.265/.286 before breaking hamate bones in both of his hands, making him miss a month and a half and not doing well when he returned. When he returned back on July 10th to rehab in the Gulf Coast League, it looked like he was getting himself back on track, however things did not improve in his final 23 games in St. Lucie.

The thing about Hamate bone breaks is that with one, it can significantly reduce the amount of strength a person can have in their hands, affecting a swing in a very adverse way. Such an issue can reduce someone’s output of power while playing in-game and would require surgery and multiple months of rehabilitation to gain strength in their hand. Urena broke hamate bones in both hands. ‘Nuff said.

In a regular year, Jhoan Urena would be able to show that he is a bat-first third baseman with considerable upside. He is a switch-hitter capable of making all sorts of hard contact to the gaps with a quick stroke. In general, he is a good, aggressive contact hitter that could be capable of producing above-average batting averages. As for power, he is capable of average to above-average power, possibly in the high-teens to early 20’s in round-trippers. However, he has not shown himself capable of drawing too many walks as of yet.

On the defensive side, he is a little bit more raw. He doesn’t have excellent hands or lateral mobility, but his arm is plus and accurate, proving himself capable to stick at the hot corner, but he may never be more than average there. If he can’t stick there, he could possibly move to right field or first base.

Urena has a lot to prove in 2016, and he’ll be looking to get some redemption as he repeats in High-A St. Lucie, but if he finally proves what he is capable of: watch out.

Other Prospects in the top 80:

#14 Gabriel Ynoa#15 Ali Sanchez#16 Luis Guillorme#17 Chris Flexen, #18 Max Wotell#19 Milton Ramos#20 Akeel Morris

25-2130-26 35-31 40-36 45-41, 50-4660-5170-6180-71

Ted’s Prospect Extras:

Expected assignments of other 3rd Base Prospects:

Kenny Hernandez: Rookie Kingsport

Walter Rasquin: Brooklyn Short-Season A

David Thompson: Full-Season A Columbia Fireflies

TOP 80 MMN

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