MLB’s Most Underrated Starting Pitcher Is Incredible

Ranked as the 17th prospect in the Angels system heading into the season, Ureña was well-regarded within the organization but relatively unknown in the grand scheme of baseball. However, he turned heads over the course of a strong Spring Training camp. The Dominican native did enough to earn himself a spot on the Angels Opening Day roster despite only pitching in one game at the Triple-A level.

Initially utilized as a reliever to open the season, Ureña made two appearances out of the Los Angeles bullpen in March before being sent down after the Astros tagged him for six runs in one inning on the 28th. He made two starts in Triple-A before being recalled on April 19th, the day he announced himself as a major-league starter with six strong innings of two-run ball against the potent Padres offense.

Since then, the youngster hasn’t looked back. Ureña assembled one of the strongest rookie pitching seasons in Angels history, recording both the lowest batting average against (.210) and opponent OPS (.613) by any Angels rookie ever. He also earned himself a spot on Baseball America’s All-Rookie First Team.

What Makes Walbert Ureña One Of The Brightest Young Pitchers In MLB?

Ureña is a stereotypical sinker-changeup pitcher, throwing his hard sinker in on a righty’s hands and fading his changeup away from a lefty. He’ll also sprinkle in the odd four-seamer and sweeper. His changeup is his best putaway pitch, featuring a huge 17 inches of arm-side run at 91 MPH. He’ll gather plenty of swing-and-miss on that pitch, but what makes him special is his ability to get the ball on the ground.

Hiding behind the changeup is a 98 MPH sinker that has more drop than it does run, a contrast that fools hitters and induces a lot of weak contact on the ground. His 55.9% ground-ball rate is in the 95th percentile of all of baseball, the driving factor for his success. Despite his impressive velocity and movement profile, Ureña doesn’t pick up a ton of strikeouts. He is capable of putting a hitter away when necessary, but his overall strikeout numbers are modest. The ability to keep the ball on the ground and avoid loud contact is what makes him such a tough pitcher to face.

Ureña is also in the top 20% when it comes to barrel rate, expected batting average, and average exit velocity. Hitters simply have a hard time getting good swings on him. The 22-year-old uses this to keep the ball in the yard, surrendering only 10 home runs on the year. 

Perhaps most exciting about Ureña is his potential to be even better than he was this year. As aforementioned, his under-the-hood numbers strongly reinforce his impressive surface stats, and more time to refine his craft and find consistency should limit his walk issues.

End Of My MLB Rant

Walbert Ureña has all the tools to become a household name in the future. With elite velocity, good movement, and a clear idea of how to use his pitches, his effectiveness will only increase with time. As he continues to throw more strikes and throw action pitches early in the count, he could become a premier ground ball threat that can get his team deep into games. He really is one to watch.