Ramon Urias: underrated bright spot

[Frobby]

.279/.361/.412 in 296 PA.

2.0 rWAR, 1.6 fWAR in 85 games.  

The defensive metrics vary.   Rdrs and Rtot thought he was average or a little above, UZR thought he was a bit below average, OAA had him far below average.   My personal take is he was solidly below average, but not a butcher.   

I think 2.0 rWAR in 85 games overstates his value but I could see him at a 2.0-2.5 rWAR player at 2B, maybe backing up SS occasionally.

I like his approach at the plate overall, and he maintained his discipline in clutch situations.    He’s a pretty solid person player.

[Il BuonO]

I think that’s right. His defense is nothing to write home about, but it’s serviceable. 

Love, love, LOVE his approach at the plate. Lil old school bat to ball skills.

[ChuckS]

I'm plugging him in at 2B next year.  He's a solid stop gap until Vavra/Norby is ready and I also like his versatility.  We may need him to play more third next year.  

[wildcard]

I think Elias will be looking at Urias vs Mateo at 2B.   

[HowAboutThat]

Was he underrated?

When I made any list of four-five guys Who might be a future piece, he was always on it.

That list, by the way, never went beyond four or five guys, because, well, the team is lousy. But it will get better

He’s better than average, and although his defense is not brilliant, there’s room even on a good team for guys who are just average-ish. I would certainly rather have him than the Jonathan Villars or Hanser Albertos  of the world.

[vab]

This is a guy who just needed regular AB's. He had hit everywhere he had been, all throughout the minors and in the Mexican League so I was not surprised. 

[OriolesMagic83]

Could he be like a Zobrist-Lite.  A guy that can be plugged in wherever needed in the infield or outfield?  IMO, he definitely has a spot on the team next year. 

[HowAboutThat]

11 minutes ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

Could he be like a Zobrist-Lite.  A guy that can be plugged in wherever needed in the infield or outfield?  IMO, he definitely has a spot on the team next year. 

No he can’t, Zobrist offered fantastic defense. But Urias can provide some offense and we need that. If Mateo can hit I might prefer him but they are both among the first in line for a roster spot for next season

[Aristotelian]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

I think 2.0 rWAR in 85 games overstates his value but I could see him at a 2.0-2.5 rWAR player at 2B, maybe backing up SS occasionally.

Why is that? Based on 2 WAR in 85 games (262 AB's), 2-2.5 WAR in a full season seems pretty conservative unless you believe he somehow played over his head. His bat and glove looked pretty consistent so I don't see any reason to think that. I think perhaps you are still underrating him! 

[MurphDogg]

12 minutes ago, Philip said:

No he can’t, Zobrist offered fantastic defense. But Urias can provide some offense and we need that. If Mateo can hit I might prefer him but they are both among the first in line for a roster spot for next season

Zobrist had fantastic defense for like 4 years of his career since he didn't become a regular starter until he was 28 and was below average by the time he was 33. 

Urias is likely capable of reaching Zobrist average defensive output, although not Zobrist's age 28-30 peak.

Which to me, is more than enough to meet the definition of "Zobrist-Lite".

[Sports Guy]

He has always hit, no matter where he was.  His defense is good enough.  Barring something bigger happening this offseason, he should be the everyday second baseman next year until(if) Vavra pushes him off the position…and we will see if a guy like Westburg moves there as well but for now, Urias is and should be the second baseman.

[HowAboutThat]

34 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

Zobrist had fantastic defense for like 4 years of his career since he didn't become a regular starter until he was 28 and was below average by the time he was 33. 

Urias is likely capable of reaching Zobrist average defensive output, although not Zobrist's age 28-30 peak.

Which to me, is more than enough to meet the definition of "Zobrist-Lite".

OK, fair enough, I will be happy if he’s just productive on both sides of the ball and avoids Some of the shenanigans we saw from some of the other guys in the last couple seasons

[Sports Guy]

I don’t like the Zobrist comp without knowing how well he can play the OF.  
 

Mateo may be more capable of that title imo but long term, our Zobrist may end up being Vavra.

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, Aristotelian said:

Why is that? Based on 2 WAR in 85 games (262 AB's), 2-2.5 WAR in a full season seems pretty conservative unless you believe he somehow played over his head. His bat and glove looked pretty consistent so I don't see any reason to think that. I think perhaps you are still underrating him! 

I don’t think his defense is as good as BB-ref thinks.   Offensively, I think he can come reasonably close to matching what he did this year.   

[Yossarian]

My memory may be selective here, but the thing I liked most about Urias was that he was not a rally killer.  He hit well with runners on base and when he got out, they were productive outs (advancing a runner).  He didn't strike out or ground into a lot of double plays.  He didn't hit with a lot of power, but he could hit to all parts of the field and knew how to punch to the opposite field.  We had far too many guys on the roster that would kill rallies, Urias was not one.