Dodgers ready to unleash irrepressible Julio Urias, wise beyond his 19 years
In a video clip from spring training posted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, uber prospect Julio Urias is shown playing the role of a reporter and asking Fernando Valenzuela how he dealt with pressure during his sensational rookie season of 1981.
The Dodgers legend and fellow Mexican tells Urias that once in the game, “you forget what’s around, how many people are in the stands. You focus on the hitter, what you need to do, your preparation.’’
That would be a wise approach for Urias to take when he makes his major league debut Friday against the host New York Mets at age 19, the youngest starting pitcher to break into the big leagues since Felix Hernandez in August 2005.
The Dodgers had been playing it safe with Urias – pronounced oo-REE-as – who is regarded as perhaps baseball’s best pitching prospect and certainly the top left-hander. But injuries to their pitching staff and his talent forced the issue.
It’s hard to deny promotion to a pitcher who has thrown 27 consecutive scoreless innings at Class AAA Oklahoma City and has produced a 1.10 ERA in 41 innings while striking out 44, walking eight and holding opponents to a .176 batting average.
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Urias’ repertoire, which features a fastball that reaches 97 mph, an advanced changeup and a curveball with a big break, has overwhelmed minor leaguers at every level and should play in the majors.
The question is how the Dodgers plan to handle Urias from now on. Is this merely a spot start? Will they move him to the bullpen if Hyun-Jin Ryu returns from his shoulder injury in mid-June, as expected? Will they return him to the minors? How much will they limit his workload?
Urias, who has never reached the 90-inning mark in four minor-league seasons, has not thrown more than six innings or 82 pitches in any game this season. Clearly some of the answers to those questions will be provided by his performance, but the Dodgers figure to continue treating him with kid gloves. He is, after all, just a kid.
That raises an even more important issue than Urias’ physical ability to succeed, and it goes to the heart of the query he posed Valenzuela, who also made it to the big leagues at 19, although initially as a reliever.
Does Urias have the mental and emotional maturity to handle the amount of attention he’ll receive in the majors as one of the game’s most ballyhooed prospects?
The son of a former Mexican league catcher who doubled as his coach, Urias carries himself with a poise and calmness that belies his age. The Dodgers’ willingness to have him make his debut in New York, of all places, points to their confidence in his makeup, as do recent comments by Oklahoma City pitching coach Matt Herges.
“Coming into the season, I had a checklist of things I had for him to work on and he’s been able to cross those things off,” Herges told MiLB.com. “How he handles himself in-game has gotten so much better. The frustration he used to show hindered his performance and it hurt the next pitch. That’s gone. How he holds runners was another box that needed to be checked off, and that’s done. Tipping his pitches, that’s checked. There’s always something to work on, but the things I was most concerned about in terms of his big-league readiness, those boxes have been checked.”
Dodgers 19-year-old pitching prospect Julio Urias slated for MLB debut
Urias, who turns 20 on Aug. 12, will be the youngest player in the majors this season, much as he was the youngest at just about every league he ever played in. Two years ago, he was the first player to participate in the Futures Game at 17.
When the Dodgers conducted a comparison of Urias with elite lefties who reached the big leagues at an early age – including their own Clayton Kershaw and the San Francisco Giants’ Madison Bumgarner, both of whom broke in at 20 – they found Urias was a year younger and a level more advanced.
Now he has reached the highest level, ahead of everybody else, as usual. In a Spanish-language interview with USA TODAY Sports last year, Urias acknowledged he’s a bit taken aback by his career’s quick progression.
“Yes, I’m amazed sometimes at what I’m doing,’’ he said. “You just try to do your job, but there are times when you think about it and you go, ‘Wow, I did this so early in my career.’’’
He can add getting to the majors to that list of feats.
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