Francisco Urbaez promoted to AAA 2B/SS/3B

[DocRed]

He was an undrafted free agent signing last year. Just noticed he got promoted to AAA and went 2-5 last night with 2 RBI's in his debut. Pretty impressive move considering he started the season at Dayton. Also the guy was playing college ball at Florida Atlantic just last year. His slash line this year is .316/.409/.433. That OBP really jumps out at me as he walks bunch and doesn't strike out much...38 walks and 49 strikeouts and 8 HBP. Has played mostly 2B but has also played SS and 3B this year. Zero errors at SS BTW. Still only 23 as well. One to watch for sure..

https://www.baseball-reference.com/r...d=urbaez000fra

Story on his signing by Doug...

https://www.redsminorleagues.com/202...james-proctor/

Nice piece by Fangraphs on him...

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/sunday-n...gh-a-pitchers/

EDIT: Apologies to Bourgeois Zee as I just noticed he had a thread on him already. Mods feel free to merge.

[Bourgeois Zee]

Interesting move. He wasn't hitting in AA at all.

I wonder what the rationale is behind it?

All I've got is:

1. The Reds believe in Urbaez's bat-- a lot.
It may really be this simple. Urbaez gets moved aggressively because he's got great patience and what appears to be an excellent hit tool. Perhaps the Reds think he can challenge for a spot at 2B (with India moving to 3B?) as early as 2023...? Moving him to AAA now eases a logjam at 2B a bit (Rey, Urbaez, McLain/ Johnson, among others) too.

2. Red brass buy into Brian Rey as a 2B.
Brian Rey and Francisco Urbaez play the same position. Why wouldn't they promote Rey, who was doing better offensively? It may be as simple as Rey was helping Chattanooga win and Urbaez, frankly, was not. Perhaps they like Rey and want him to get more ABs while experiencing a winning season and playoff atmosphere...?

3. Matt McLain and Ivan Johnson are both being fast-tracked.
Both middle infielders have shown solid bats so far in Dayton. Johnson (135 wRC+) and McLain (125 wRC+) both deserve long looks. They also play the same position. In moving Urbaez up, they can then be challenged and play middle infield at the same time. That allows them to gauge the effectiveness of one glove against the other in relatively real time.

4. Cincinnati doesn't believe in Johnson's SS work.
With McLain and Barrero (not to mention Torres a level below), Johnson may need to move to 2B just to get some innings. This move allows that to happen faster and give him some minor league reps he otherwise might not get.

5. Procedural moves because of Barrero's bump
Most likely, this is a temporary move made necessary by Barrero's jump to the majors. Because he hasn't been starting in AA (Rey's been the primary 2B), he's fairly expendable. He also has a solid bat. Urbaez will drop back down relatively soon.

[Tom Servo]

5. Procedural moves because of Barrero's bump
Most likely, this is a temporary move made necessary by Barrero's jump to the majors. Because he hasn't been starting in AA (Rey's been the primary 2B), he's fairly expendable. He also has a solid bat. Urbaez will drop back down relatively soon.

I would imagine it's this, yeah. Still an interesting choice though.

[WrongVerb]

What we have learned about these 10 players in the Dominican winter league so far

INF Francisco Urbaez
Age: 23
Stats: 27 G, .293/.402/.303, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 16 BB, 13 K

Urbaez signed with the Reds as an undrafted free agent in 2020. A 23-year-old this past season, he scaled the organizational ladder quickly and ended up at Triple-A Louisville for his final 14 games. He ended the season on a 12-for-52 stretch with four doubles, three walks and eight strikeouts. He has surprised in the Dominican Republic, leading his Leones del Escogido squad with 16 walks, 29 hits and 13 runs scored. The evaluator said Urbaez’s knowledge of the strike zone stands out and his defense at second and third base is at least average.

[Bourgeois Zee]

What we have learned about these 10 players in the Dominican winter league so far

He [Urbaez] has surprised in the Dominican Republic, leading his Leones del Escogido squad with 16 walks, 29 hits and 13 runs scored. The evaluator said Urbaez’s knowledge of the strike zone stands out and his defense at second and third base is at least average.

Really like Urbaez's chances as a solid hitter in the D'Angelo Jimenez/ Randy Velarde/ Cookie Lavagetto range.

[camisadelgolf]

Really like Urbaez's chances as a solid hitter in the D'Angelo Jimenez/ Randy Velarde/ Cookie Lavagetto range.

I like the modest comparisons. His numbers suggests he could be something kind of special, but realistically, the tools imply he is more likely to be a valuable depth piece. If everything breaks right, he might even be a solid regular for a few years. However a D'Angelo Jimenez-like career would be excellent when you consider the investment.

[Bourgeois Zee]

However a D'Angelo Jimenez-like career would be excellent when you consider the investment.

I think that's where the Reds could conceivably improve their farm system and make a massive dent in their yearly expenditures, allowing them to play and pay more for true impact free agents. Last year, for example, Cincinnati produced not only a difference-maker at 2B and at C, they also developed a solid relief arm, two bench bats, and a BOR SP.

It's impossible to do that yearly, but if the Reds can develop, say, a relief arm, a bench bat, and a top 150 prospect guy each year, they'd be perennial contenders within three seasons.

I like their chances for the foreseeable future, honestly.

I see TJ Friedl as a Max Schrock guy/ second division starter in CF (with a bit more upside due to his speed). As a bench bat/ platoon partner, Friedl's an interesting (and likely above average) major league depth piece. (He's had some pretty major platoon splits, fwiw, against RH and has hit them at an 800 OPS over his minor league career.) M2 suggested he and someone else platoon there, and I low-key like the pairing of he and Senzel in CF. (This assumes they're not going to sign anyone of consequence this off-season.)

Greene's going to be the "star" of the group-- which makes sense. But Reiver Sanmartin and Dauri Moreta can be solid bullpen arms in 2022 and make that 'pen into a strength. (Relatively speaking.) So could Brandon Bailey and Jared Solomon. Maybe Riley O'Brien too, if he can find a bit more control.

Next season, Nick Lodolo, Graham Ashcraft, and maybe Matt McLain will be ready and relative stars. But I think Brian Rey can be a solid bench bat and part-time starter at 2B and/or CF in addition to the first-division guys ahead of him in the pecking order. Urbaez can be that guy as well, though he seems to be locked into 2B only. (Were I him, I'd push to play everywhere in order to be more attractive as a utility guy.) Mark Kolozsvary might well have made himself into a legitimate backup catcher by 2023 too. Ivan Johnson is pretty close. Lorenzo Cedrola as a fifth OF/ speed guy with a decent hit tool isn't horrible either. Drew Mount might make it too.

That's a lot of middling talent the Reds can use to get slightly cheaper or to deal for younger prospects down the road. Not all of them are going to be much of anything, but in today's game, depth goes a long, long way toward keeping a team relevant even as guys get hurt. The Reds look like they might be pretty good at developing that depth.