IP | 48 |
---|---|
ERA | 4.5 |
WHIP | 1.29 |
BB/9 | 4.69 |
SO/9 | 8.44 |
- Full name Jose David Urbina
- Born 11/02/2005 in Caracas, Venezuela
- Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme.
Track Record: The arrow has been pointing up for Urbina from the moment he signed for $210,000 in 2023. Urbina has gone from sitting at 90-91 mph to sitting 94-95 and touching 99 in less than two years. The Rays aggressively sent him to the Florida Complex League in 2023, but then sent him back there with the earlier start date for the league in 2024. He finished the season with four starts at Low-A Charleston.
Scouting Report: Urbina has one of the best fastballs in the Rays system, with top-end velocity from an athletic, lanky build. His delivery does have some length and he’ll have to work to repeat consistently. He showed the aptitude to refine and develop his breaking ball, which helped him get in the strike zone more consistently. Early in the season, he relied on a below-average high-70s bigger curveball, but he switched more and more in-season to a low-80s slider that he can throw for strikes more regularly, although he’s still working on commanding it to better spots in the zone—he leaves it up too often. He has a below-average hard changeup that so far he shows little feel for commanding.
The Future: Of the Rays’ numerous young starters, Urbina carries one of the highest risks of ending up in the bullpen, but his combination of a dominating fastball and a developing breaking ball gives him a high upside and a pretty reasonable fallback option as well.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 40 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 40. -
BA Grade: 50/Extreme
Track Record: In the 1990s and 2000s, teams often spent big to sign the best arms in Latin America. But after high-priced arm after high-priced arm failed to make it to the major leagues, the approach changed. Now, even the best international pitchers don’t come close to matching the bonuses handed out to the top hitters. But even considering that, Urbina is an unusual case. He signed with the Rays for $210,000 out of Venezuela in January 2023, but he’s already one of the team’s most promising pitching prospects.
Scouting Report: When teams were scouting Urbina, he was an athletic, well-built righthander with a clean delivery and a fast arm, but he maxed out at 90 mph. There was a hope that he’d add more velocity, but it would have been hard to expect it would happen this quickly. The Rays skipped the polished Urbina over the Dominican Summer League, and he debuted as a 17-year-old in the Florida Complex League. While his statistics weren’t particularly impressive, he showed some of the best stuff and feel in the league. Urbina sits in the mid 90s and touches 97 mph with a potentially plus fastball with above-average life. He also spins a future plus curveball and will flash feel for his still-developing changeup.
The Future: For years, the Rays seemed to produce front-line starters at will, but at present there are few pitchers in the system who the organization projects as even midrotation starters. Urbina has arguably the highest upside of any of them. His athleticism, clean delivery and feel for spinning a breaking ball to go with rapidly improving velocity makes him an arm to watch.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 45