Top prospects don\u2019t always work out.<\/p>\n
Back in 2012, the Blue Jays signed Ure\u00f1a for a signing bonus of $725,000. By 2016, Ure\u00f1a reached Double-A and ranked as the Blue Jays\u2019 seventh-best prospect. Most of Ure\u00f1a\u2019s 2017 was spent in Double-A, but since he was on the 40-man roster, he was called up to the big leagues that season and got some playing time<\/p>\n
In their 2017 rankings, MLB Pipeline <\/a>ranked Ure\u00f1a as their 94th-best prospect<\/a>, but his stint with the Blue Jays didn\u2019t go so great. In 75 plate appearances, Ure\u00f1a slashed .206\/.270\/.309 with one home run in 75 plate appearances for a 55 wRC+. The middle infielder also struck out 37.3% of the time, but Ure\u00f1a was only 21 years old at this point, so there was still promise.<\/p>\n Entering the 2018 season, Ure\u00f1a ranked as MLB Pipeline\u2019s 11th-best Blue Jays prospect and spent most of the season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. In 268 plate appearances, Ure\u00f1a slashed .216\/.250\/.344 with five home runs in 268 plate appearances. The infielder even got some action with the Blue Jays, slashing .293\/.340\/.364 with a home run in 108 plate appearances for a 94 wRC+.<\/p>\n That was the best Ure\u00f1a ever looked in the big leagues. Despite finishing at the bottom of the league in 2019, Ure\u00f1a didn\u2019t get much of a look with the Jays, slashing just .243\/.273\/.324 with no home runs in 80 plate appearances. His Triple-A stats weren\u2019t much better, slashing just .274\/.314\/.393 with six home runs in 403 plate appearances for a 79 wRC+.<\/p>\n On Dec. 30, 2019, the Jays made a decision that would\u2019ve been unthinkable just two seasons before, designating the then 23-year-old for assignment. The Baltimore Orioles claimed him off waivers, but due to the pandemic season, Ure\u00f1a didn\u2019t play in 2020.<\/p>\n