By Bill Center

During his Wednesday morning media briefing, Padres manager Andy Green said the second base competition next spring will be wide-open between extra-base specialist Ryan Schimpf, the injury Cory Spangenberg and Triple-A All-Star Carlos Asuaje.

Just more than an hour later, another second base prospect came into prominence.

Luis Urias, who didn’t turn 19 until this past June, earned the double honor of being named the Advanced Single-A California League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player.

Urias, who also plays shortstop and third base, is hitting .326 in 108 games with Lake Elsinore. He has 22 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 40 RBIs and 66 runs scored with seven steals.

Perhaps the most amazing stat with Urias is the fact that he has drawn 36 walks (and been hit by 13 pitches) while striking out only 34 times in 470 plate appearances.

Urias, who opened the season as the youngest player in the California League, ranks second in the California League in batting average and fourth in on-base percentage (.392) and hits (136).

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A native of Mexico, Urias signed with the Padres on Dec. 27, 2013. He hit .310 in the Arizona Rookie League in 2014 and started the 2015 season at short-season Single-A Tri-City shortly after turning 18.

After hitting .355 in 10 games with Tri-City, Urias was transferred to Single-A Fort Wayne, where, as the youngest player in the Midwest League, he hit .290 in 51 games last summer.

Urias is ranked the 11th-best prospect in the Padres system per MLB Pipeline.