Bats Infield Duo Stars in Winter Leagues

LOUISILLE, KY – Louisville Bats infielders Francisco Urbaez and Brian Rey have starred in the Winter Leagues this offseason.

The pair of somewhat under-the-radar prospects reached Triple-A Louisville late in 2021 and have ranked among the top five hitters in their respective league as the Winter schedule winds to a close this month.

Urbaez, 24, leads all Leones del Escogido batters and ranked fourth in the entire Dominican Winter League with his .379 on-base percentage through 30 games. His impressive on-base clip includes walking (16) more than he has struck out (14), and he has routinely hit for average during his Winter League stint to bat .274 (29-for-106) with eight multi-hit efforts. Urbaez has split time between second and third base and boasts a perfect fielding percentage over his last nine outings.

The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native logged 12 hits and scored six runs in 14 Triple-A games with Louisville last season.

Rey, 23, wasn’t officially activated on Indios De Mayaguez’s roster in the Puerto Rican Winter League (Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente) until Nov. 23, but has collected 12 base hits through his first 10 contests – Good for the third-most in the league since his debut. The utility man has split time between second base and right field since joining the club, and as of Tuesday, has reached base safely in eight of 10 appearances with four multi-hit efforts on his resume.

With the added firepower of Rey in the lineup, Indios de Mayaguez currently ranks first in the league with a 14-8 record and 0.5-game lead over second-place Criollos de Caguas.

The Deltona, Florida native hit .385 (5-for-13) in four Triple-A games with the Bats in 2021.

The Dominican Winter League Playoffs are set to begin Dec. 19. The Puerto Rican League postseason will open Jan. 4.