Francisco Urbaez Flourishing with Confidence and Consistency

Amid a rollercoaster first half of 2025 for the Louisville Bats, who sat at 32-43 through the season’s first 75 games, a handful of players have stood out among the crowd. Tyler Callihan and Will Benson dominated in their time with the Bats before earning Major League call ups, and last year’s lineup anchors in Edwin Rios and Rece Hinds have once again provided ample thump in the middle of the Bats order. While the usual suspects have given Pat Kelly’s squad all it could ask for, it has been a 27-year-old, 5-foot-9 infielder that has stepped up as the driving force of the Bats offense in a season that has featured its fair share of talent donning the Louisville red, white and blue.

With his .312 batting average, 19 doubles and four triples, Francisco Urbaez spent a majority of the first half ranked among the International League leaders, embracing his role as the Bats’ table setter at the top of the order and holding down the fort at second base since the promotion of Callihan in late April. Getting on base for the big dogs behind him has been Urbaez’ calling card this season, helping Louisville to rank in the IL’s top 10 highest-scoring offenses of the first half.

“I feel like that’s part of my game,” said Urbaez. “I’m not one of those guys that’s going to hit a bunch of homers like they do, so I feel like my job is trying to get on base as much as I can for them to drive me in and see where we are at the end of the game.”

After appearing in 29 games in incremental stints for the Bats in 2021 and 2023, Urbaez finally cracked Louisville's Opening Day roster in 2024 at the age of 26. He appeared in 13 games, slashing just .176/.270/.235 before spending the next four months at Double-A. Urbaez’ strong play with Chattanooga throughout the summer earned him a second go with the Bats to finish out the season, and he made the most of it, slashing .392/.466/.608 with seven extra-base hits in his final 14 games with the Bats. Armed with the confidence that only success can bring, Urbaez worked hard during the offseason and entered 2025 with his chest out, ready to copy his late-season dominance to the new campaign’s clean slate.

The hitting tools that Urbaez has flexed since September of last year are by no means newfound. A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the scrappy second baseman chose the path less traveled by Latin ballplayers, opting to play four years of collegiate baseball rather than sign a professional contract as a young teenager. The decision proved to be valuable, as Urbaez’ two seasons each at Chipola College and Florida Atlantic University gave him opportunities to play winning baseball and time to hone his skills at the plate.

“My parents were always super strict with school. They told me if I want to play baseball, I have to go to school. I don’t know where I would be or if I would be the same player if I would have signed back home. Here [the United States], there’s a plan, it’s organized. You have people to help you with data and a bunch of other things, so I feel like coming here definitely helped me.”

It was in college that Urbaez bought into the importance of simplicity in his game. It’s a value that he has carried with him from college to the low levels of the minor leagues and now to the doorstep of the show.

A comforting constant throughout his professional baseball journey has been hitting coach Daryle Ward, who has helped Urbaez develop and sharpen his approach for the last five years. Now in his first season at the helm of the Louisville offense, the former big leaguer has worked with the young pro since Urbaez entered the Reds system in 2021.

“[In 2021] I got sent to High-A with him. We started to do little things, like a different approach or something mechanically, and since that year, it was a complete 180-degree change, and I’ve been really grateful for him.

“That’s why he and I get along really well, he’s one of those coaches that keeps everything simple. He gives you one or two cues, ‘do this’ or ‘do that,’ and I feel like that kind of coaching helps me a lot.”

Ward, who has helped mold Urbaez over the years into the hitter who has led Louisville’s offense in the first half of this season, has been pleased with Francisco’s approach.

“Frankie’s always been a line drive hitter,” said Ward, “and one thing he hasn’t done this year is deviate from what type of hitter he is. He’s just gone out and tried to perfect it. He’s started shooting balls in the gaps, hitting hard line drives as consistently as possible.”

URBAEZ TIES US UP@franurbaez4 pic.twitter.com/6wHldjCj7n

— Louisville Bats (@LouisvilleBats) May 21, 2025

Ward and Urbaez have worked to eliminate an experimental mechanic in his game, an adjustment that has proven itself in Urbaez’ results so far in 2025.

“He’s gotten rid of a leg kick that he was trying to work with to try and get some more power, but he notices that hitting the ball for power doesn’t have anything to do with your leg kick. Now that he’s more grounded, I see that he’s getting a lot more exit velocity out of balls that he’s hitting. Those are some of the things that have helped with his success.”

11 seasons and 90 home runs in the Major Leagues is a resume that not many can claim, and it speaks to Ward’s ethos within the Bats locker room. Urbaez has bought into Ward’s process while staying true to himself, setting the stage for his breakout campaign.

“Baseball is such a game of adjustments,” said Urbaez. “Once you make those adjustments, it might take you a little bit, but once you get going, it’s a different ballgame.”

As is the culture of baseball in the Dominican Republic, Urbaez plays the game with tremendous energy and excitement, feeding off of the Louisville faithful that cheers him on at every home game. Urbaez will be the first to tell you that the home fan support has uplifted his play, a sentiment that is reflected in his .364 batting average and .932 OPS at Louisville Slugger Field.

A fan-favorite, Urbaez also finds himself in high regard with teammates for his ability to set others up for success. It’s a dynamic that is felt with lighthearted sincerity by Ward, the former Major League slugger now sharing his experience and expertise with a clubhouse of a new generation of ballplayers.

“I think he’s made that his thing to do, ‘let me be on base for my guys that drive the ball.’ He’s doing a really good job of that. We’re just hoping one day he gets that call because everybody likes a setup guy. As a power hitter myself I would be getting him watches and stuff like that just because he’s a table setter, he gets on base so I can do my job.”

With the season shifting to its second leg, the Bats will look to turn the tides after a first half to forget. Ironically, this shift and new opportunity starts with Urbaez continuing to do what he has been through his first 59 games of the season. The big-league hopeful knows his role as the catalyst of the offense, and he is dedicated to staying grounded and focused on steering Louisville in the right direction in the second half.

“Just trying to keep the same mindset, staying present and confident in everything I do. I’m just going to try to take it day by day and see where we are at the end of the year. Let’s keep it going.”