Los Angeles Dodges May Promote Julio Urias, Other Prospects
By Bill Pivetz
It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Dodgers have had problems in their starting rotation and bullpen. This may force the team to promote Julio Urias soon.
The Los Angeles Dodgers had a rough offseason, to say the least. The team lost Zack Greinke to division opponent Arizona Diamondbacks and, because of concerns with his physical, backed out of a deal with Hisashi Iwakuma. The Dodgers sit at 15-15, second in the National League West. With the struggles the team is going through, management may call up top prospect Julio Urias. What fantasy value will he have if they do?
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First off, reports state that Urias won’t be joining the rotation, but the bullpen if he’s brought up. Besides Kenley Jansen, the bullpen has not been good. No other member of the bullpen has an ERA lower than 2.77 (Joe Blanton) while Jansen’s ERA is 0.82. The team is ranked 23rd in holds this season with 12.
"We're looking through options and (Julio) Urias is definitely at the top of the list," Dave Roberts says of his bullpen.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) May 7, 2016
Julio Urias has been in the Dodgers organization since 16. I was finishing up my sophomore year of high school when I was 16. In his first season in Single-A, 54.1 innings, he made 18 starts and went 2-0 with a 2.48 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 67 strikeouts. He quickly went through the system before landing in Triple-A last season.
In five games this season, Urias is 3-1 with a 1.88 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 10.9 K/9 in 24.0 innings. While he’s had success as a starter, the Dodgers would move him to the bullpen to have more control over his innings. Throwing a 19-year-old out there to pitch six innings every five days will wear down his arm. However, limiting it to an inning every other day helps him long term.
MLB.com notes that Julio Urias throws in the 91-94 MPH range with his fastball topping 97 MPH. That paired with good off-speed stuff makes him a viable ace pitcher in the near future. As for the time being, he is someone to watch, if you are not already.
Next: Mike Moustakas Lands on DL
This is a tricky situation for the Dodgers. They either call up Julio Urias and have him become eligible for arbitration after the 2018 season, or keep him in the minors until he has more seasoning and joins the rotation. Those in dynasty leagues are hoping for the former.
However, the Dodgers are also thinking about calling up Jharel Cotton or Jose De Leon. I think Urias is the best option for the team now and in the future. I would sift through the news outlets for his potential promotion.