Jose Urena

Urena was one of the many Miami players caught up in the team's COVID-19 outbreak and didn't pitch until early September. He was later denied a chance to pitch in the playoffs when he suffered a fractured forearm in the regular-season finale. The 29-year-old made five starts and had a 5.40 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 15:13 K:BB over 23.1 innings, compiling an 0-3 record. Urena was shifted to the bullpen during the 2019 campaign, and the Marlins could test their luck with that move again next season. The right-hander still features a fastball over 95 mph, but his strikeout and walk rates (16.3% and 8.3%, respectively) over the past two years don't offer much upside. It remains unclear whether the Marlins plan to keep him in the starting rotation or push him back to the bullpen for 2021, but he hasn't had much success in either role since 2018.

Urena worked both out of the rotation and the bullpen for the Marlins, with terrible results. The numbers in the rotation were bad, and the numbers in his limited time in the bullpen were even worse. He throws hard, but that is where the fun ends. His strikeout rate was in the bottom 10th percentile last season, and he gave up a lot of hard contact because his fastball lacks movement. If the Marlins are able to teach him a new pitch or change his repertoire up so he is not so reliant upon his fastball, it's possible he could have better results. Perhaps simply because of his 86th-percentile fastball velocity (95.8 mph), Miami was intent on giving him the ball in high-leverage spots down the stretch, so he can't be completely ruled out for saves, but he certainly won't be getting those chances based on merit without major changes in his profile.

Urena is the ultimate fantasy tease. Most of his underlying metrics are fine, and he throws 96 mph. However, the missing link, especially for fantasy, is the swing and miss. He generates a paltry 6.2% SwStr% on his four-seamer, a pitch he throws nearly 60% of the time. Urena sports a healthy 13.5% SwStr% on his slider and 12.3% SwStr% with his changeup, so perhaps a change in usage or sequencing could help improve a weak 18.3% strikeout rate. From a fantasy standpoint, there's breakout potential if something clicks. Betting on a groundball hurler with good control and a 96-mph fastball seems like a winning proposition. However, at least initially, Urena is best utilized as a streamer, especially for home games. Keep in mind his low strikeout total is particularly detrimental in leagues with an innings maximum.

Going by traditional (i.e. outdated) measures, Urena had a great season, but the underlying numbers paint a far less rosy picture. While he led the Marlins in wins and ended up with a very respectable 3.82 ERA over 169.2 innings, his FIP was nearly a run and a half worse at 5.20 (5.29 xFIP, 5.19 SIERA). Urena averaged just 6.0 K/9 while walking 3.4 per nine, resulting in the fourth-worst K-BB percentage among qualified starters. He had a 4.54 ERA outside of the pitcher-friendly confines of Marlins Park, and while Urena can flash impressive spin to go with mid-90s fastball velocity, there's little evidence to suggest a significant uptick in strikeouts is coming in future seasons (8.2 percent swinging-strike rate, 58.7 percent first-pitch strike rate, 28.8 percent O-Swing percentage). The biggest thing Urena has going for him is safety in the rotation, with the Marlins needing capable arms to eat innings in the first year of a rebuild.

Urena split time between Triple-A and the majors in 2016, as he was sent down and recalled by the Marlins on multiple occasions. While Urena made 12 starts and 28 overall appearances for Miami, his performance in the big leagues this season was relatively unspectacular. The 25-year-old earned a 6.13 ERA and 4.72 FIP in 83.2 innings of work. His struggles resulted in part from his inability consistently generate strikeouts, resulting in a disappointing 6.2 K/9 rate. The Miami right-hander also had fairly extreme splits, as righties slashed .236/.320/.405 off him while lefties were able to slash .298/.359/.506 in 2016. Urena is still young at 25 years old, so there is certainly still a chance that he will improve upon his first couple of stints in the big leagues. Urena likely won't be in the Marlins' rotation to start the season, but he has a good chance to be a spot-starter and the first guy asked to fill in if one of Miami's starters goes down with an injury.

As he had the previous three seasons, Urena moved up in the Marlins organization. Due to injuries, however, he made more appearances in the major leagues than was originally expected for him. The right-hander had his fair share of struggles in his first showing in the majors, going 1-5 with a 5.25 ERA, 1.59 ERA, and 1.12 K/BB. He did see success while pitching with Triple-A New Orleans, though, posting a career best 2.66 ERA while going 6-1 in 11 starts. The Marlins have plenty of young pitchers, but if the 24-year-old can carry that success he saw in the minors to the majors, he could find a spot as a long reliever with the Marlins or even push for a rotation spot with a strong spring.

Another year, another step up the Marlins’ ladder for Urena, who collected 162 innings with a  3.33 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 13 wins for Double-A Jacksonville during his fourth professional season. Urena continues to show exemplary control for a 23-year-old (1.61 BB/9 in 2014) while striking out a career-best 121 batters last season. Urena tends to work to contact with his mid-90s heater but is effective at keeping in the ball in the yard. Still, he’s unlikely to find much growth in his strikeout potential until a more effective secondary offering is established. Urena will likely take his superb command to Triple-A in 2015, but will be hard pressed to find opportunity in the majors this season with the Marlins possessing talented rotation options both in the big leagues and in the high minors.

Urena racked up a 3.73 ERA in 27 games (26 starts) at High-A Jupiter during his age-21 as he continued his climb up the ranks in the Marlins' pitching-rich farm system. The right-hander has modest strikeout ability -- registering 107 punchouts in 149.2 inning pitched last season -- but has already shown plus control, walking just 1.8 BB/9 over his past two seasons. Urena touches the mid-90s with the heater and also boasts an improving slider that will need further work to become a valuable offering. He is likely to start 2014 at Double-A and could have a shot to make his big league debut when rosters expand in September.