Fansided

One prospect each MLB team should call up right now

By Joshua Sadlock

MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 27: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts after hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during the MLB preseason game at Olympic Stadium on March 27, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - MARCH 27: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts after hitting a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during the MLB preseason game at Olympic Stadium on March 27, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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MESA, AZ – NOVEMBER 07: Luis Urias #9 of Peoria Javelinas (SD) reacts on the field against the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League game at Sloan Park on November 11, 2017 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
MESA, AZ – NOVEMBER 07: Luis Urias #9 of Peoria Javelinas (SD) reacts on the field against the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League game at Sloan Park on November 11, 2017 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /

San Diego Padres: Luis Urias

One of the reasons All-Star first baseman Eric Hosmer chose the San Diego Padres (besides, I assume, the nine-figure offer) was the huge wave of young talent building up in the team’s farm system. The Padres don’t have much to show for the last 20-plus years of baseball, but that could change in an instant. They have seven top-100 prospects and have been cornering the market on international amateurs.

Hosmer alone is not going to transform the Padres into winners. He just isn’t that type of player. Luckily, he will get some help very soon. Fernando Tatis Jr. is the hitting prospect everyone is most excited about, and rightfully so, but second baseman Luis Urias is no slouch himself. This is the infield duo the Padres have been trying to find for decades.

Urias was signed out of the Mexican League at the age of 16 in 2013 and hit .310/.393/.355 as a 17-year-old in Rookie Ball the following season. Even for an international prospect, he’s young. Urias has been the youngest, or one of the youngest, players at each of his stops in the minor leagues so far, but has never been overmatched. He was the MVP of the California League at 19 and has more walks than strikeouts in close to 400 games as a pro.

With Tatis expected shortly behind, the Padres have a bright future up the middle. Urias is a polished hitter whose power should see a jump as he matures and gets stronger. For now, he is a line-drive hitter who sprays the ball all over the field and a likely plus defender at second base.

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