Luis Urbina, OF, previously with Boise:"We took a couple big swings and we missed on those, but we are still pleased with the players we were able to select in the draft." said Omaha GM Justin Niles. "Anytime you can grab a player that is a potential bench guy or role player in the rule 5, you did okay, and to be honest I think we picked up a player who will be in our lineup daily."
Urbina almost immediately becomes the worst fielding player on the Omaha team, but he might as well leave his glove in the clubhouse, as the club likely will never use him in the outfield. Urbina is an instant replacement candidate to take over at designated hitter if Francisco Vega were to struggle at all. Vega, who was a rule 5 selection back in Dec 2046, played well last year with a 115 wRC+, but with a just a .394 slugging percentage the club likely is looking for a bit more power. Vege had a .264/.376/.394 triple slash. Urbina had a 171 wRC+ last season at AAA where he hit .306/.434/.507 in 369 at bats and, at age 22, is 5 years younger than Vega.
Zhi-Gang Jung, 1B, previously with Calgary
Jung is an interesting choice because his bat against right-handed pitching might allow him to remain on the roster. He does hit for absolutely no power and will likely walk very little, but puts the ball in play consistently instead of striking out. Jung is potentially a candidate who will be sent back if he struggles in the spring.
Kyung-Suk Yi, 2B, Previously with Calgary
Similar to Jung, Yi is going to have to prove himself in likely limited at bats in the spring if he wants any chance to stick in the majors. His defense isn’t going to do it permanently, and Omaha has a surplus of capable infielders currently. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Yi sent back quickly.
Clancy Moles, RP, Previously with Calgary
Another Calgary player, but this one might be someone worth keeping around. Moles, who is recovering from elbow surgery, pitched very well before that injury, at least on the saber metric side. Moles had a 3.66 FIP in AA last year, and had seasons well below that in prior years. Moles is due back in April, and depending on what the bullpen looks like at that point, he might get a chance to let it rip.
