Los Angeles Dodgers stud pitching prospect Julio Urias, just 19 years old, is set to make his MLB debut on Friday.
The starting rotation for the Los Angeles Dodgers is about to get much better. On Thursday, the team announced that they will call up top pitching prospect Julio Urias to make his big league debut in a start on the road against the New York Mets.
The 19-year-old Urias is ranked as the second-best prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com, and has been in the Dodgers’ organization since he was 15 years old. Urias has dominated every level of the minor leagues on his way to the big show. Urias had a quick stop in Triple-A last season, but 2016 was supposed to be his first full year at the level.
However, Urias has dominated the Triple-A scene, and the Dodgers felt like there was no reason to hold him down any longer. Through seven starts (and one relief appearance), Urias holds a dominant 1.10 ERA this season, including 27 consecutive scoreless innings pitched prior to his call-up.
Urias will be the first player to make his major league debut as a teenager since 2012. While the Dodgers obviously do not want to push his young arm too far, what good is it to have him not being challenged at Triple-A? Urias’ stuff is clearly big league caliber, and learning how to attack big league hitters is the only way that he is going to continue to improve as a young pitcher.
On top of that, the Dodgers do have a need for some impact arms in the rotation. Aside from ace Clayton Kershaw and a strong start by Kenta Maeda, there is little to like in the Dodgers’ rotation.
If Urias can come in and be the stud that everyone thinks he is, the Dodgers’ starting staff will immediately become a strength of their ball club.
For more MLB coverage, check out our MLB hub page.