Rays Pitcher Dominates Mets During Spring Breakout Outing

That is an incredible development for a player who has, at times in his professional career, struggled with control. Not only was his stuff electric, but he was able to locate it with precision, throwing 33 of his 49 pitches for strikes.

“I’ve caught him before, but he was on one tonight,” catcher Nathan Flewelling, the No. 11-ranked Rays’ prospect, said of his teammate's performance on the mound. “It was coming out pretty easy for him, and it was fun to catch.”

As shared by Adam Berry of MLB.com, Urbina nearly reached triple digits on the radar gun, registering 99.3 mph in the first inning. His strikeouts were all racked up on cutters that sat in the 86-89 mph range, throwing opposing batters off.

Only 20 years old, the Rays love the upside that the talented right-handed pitcher possesses. He spent 2025 with Single-A Charleston mostly, making 19 starts there before making a single start at High-A Bowling Green.

He showcased incredible improvements with his control, cutting his walk rate from 4.6 and 4.0 in his first two seasons as a pro to 2.8 in his 20 appearances last year. Adding to the impressiveness of the performance was that he increased his strikeout rate to 9.4.

With increased precision on his offerings, Urbina was starting to rack up more punchouts, which he showed during the Spring Breakout as well.

Historically, one of the best organizations at developing pitchers, Tampa Bay looks to have another great one on its hands in the minor leagues. Urbina will be someone that people keep a close eye on throughout the campaign.