Richard Urena

Urena put forth his worst offensive performance, relative to league average, of his minor-league career in a return trip to Double-A (73 wRC+). While he clearly hadn't earned a promotion to Triple-A, let alone MLB, he received a September callup due to the fact he was already on the 40-man roster and the Blue Jays had nothing to lose by seeing how Urena looked against the game's best. He surprised everyone by hitting .316/.381/.474 with a home run in his first 38 at-bats, but his .458 BABIP and 31 percent strikeout rate over that stretch were pretty obvious signs that significant regression was coming. He went on to notch just two hits over his final 33 plate appearances. Urena is a fringe defender at shortstop, so his bat was always going to need to carry him. He could head to Triple-A for his age-22 season, not necessarily because he is up for the challenge, but because he is running out of time to prove he deserves a spot on the 40-man roster.

While Urena may not have the standout tools we typically look for in fantasy prospects, he does a lot of things well, and it's easier to overlook the flaws when the player fields a premium position. Urena made more consistent contact in 2016, posting a sub-15 percent strikeout rate with High-A Dunedin and maintaining an average north of .300 with the affiliate. He also took a significant step forward with his mechanics in the field, which helped convince the Blue Jays to bump him up to Double-A New Hampshire for the final month of the season. Urena's walk rate fell to just 3.0 percent and he didn't tally a homer or a steal in 20 games in the Eastern League, but the mere fact that he reached that level as a 20-year-old is impressive. He needs to learn to take a walk, but the switch-hitter has the potential for some power growth, especially when he reaches Rogers Centre. Look for him to spend all of 2017 at the upper levels as he prepares to break through to the majors in 2018.

At first glance, Urena is a classic light-hitting, defensive shortstop. However, the 19-year-old has shown a profile that’s far more rounded than that. Signed in 2012 at just 16, Urena has quickly developed into an all-around player that has a chance to crack the majors sooner rather than later. After hitting three home runs in his first two minor league seasons, Urena hit 15 in 91 games with Single-A Lansing. In 121 games across Single-A Lansing and High-A Dunedin, Urena hit for a .262/.284/.407 slash line. While the increased pop in his bat is a huge development, he seemed to do so at the expensive of his eye, as his OBP dropped 70 points from 2014 to 2015. Defensively, Urena is excellent; using his rangy frame to track down everything in the hole and make all the necessary throws. With Troy Tulowitzki occupying his position and plenty of levels still to go, look for Urena to start back in High-A Dunedin and crack the MLB in 2018 or so.