Los Angeles Dodgers: Was Julio Urias Called Up Too Soon?

Los Angeles Dodgers 19-year-old left-hander Julio Urias has had two starts in the major leagues, and neither has gone as many expected. Are the Dodgers making a mistake by bringing Urias to the majors so soon?

The Los Angeles Dodgers initially brought 19-year-old lefty Julio Urias to the major leagues when it appeared he’d be making a spot-start for Alex Wood. After a rough first outing against the New York Mets, Urias was optioned back to the minor leagues. With Wood on the disabled list and expected to be out four weeks, Urias returned and made a second start against the Chicago Cubs.

In some ways, Urias’ second start went better than his first, but he had his struggles against the Cubs as well. While two starts is an extremely small sample size, are the Dodgers messing up Urias’ progress by having him in the major leagues while he’s still just 19?

In some ways, Urias is at a bit of a disadvantage. Quite simply, the hype surrounding his eventual major league debut has been so high over the past year, that in some people’s minds if Urias didn’t throw seven shutout innings he’d be a disappointment. Urias is a special talent, and that is indisputable, but perhaps expectations were too high, at least for now. This is, understandably, the toughest competition Urias has ever faced, and he’s learning to get acclimated to facing major league hitters.

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Part of Urias’ problem to this point is that he is leaving the ball up in the zone. It could be nerves, or it could be a minor issue in his mechanics, but if Urias is able to keep the ball down in the zone, he should have more success. Against the Cubs, part of Urias’ success came in the fact that he threw five innings, after completing just 2.2 in his debut against the Mets on May 27. Urias threw 79 pitches against the Cubs, which was less than his total against the Mets, and he struck out four, but his biggest downfall was surrendering home runs.

The Cubs took Urias deep three times, and he gave up six runs, five of which were earned. While the home runs were discouraging for the Dodgers lefty, the fact that he made it through five innings shows progress.

Yes, Urias is young by major league standards. He became the first 19-year-old to start a game since Felix Hernandez in 2005. Yes, the Dodgers could have kept Urias in the minor leagues until later in the season, or perhaps next season, but would it have changed anything?

At the time the Dodgers brought Urias up, he was throwing lights-out in Triple-A. He had a 1.10 ERA in seven starts, with a WHIP of 0.780. However, Urias initially debuted in Triple-A in 2015. His 2015 Triple-A stint started rough, somewhat similarly to how his major league career has. In two Triple-A starts in 2015, Urias gave up nine earned runs and walked six. He had an extremely bloated ERA of 18.69 and a WHIP of 3.923.

Two starts is a small sample size, and partly the reason for the bloated numbers, but the broader point is, Urias eventually found his groove, and when he returned to Triple-A this season, he was dominant. It seems to indicate that Urias endures struggles when adapting to a new level of competition, but in the past he’s eventually acclimated and it’s led to success.

It’s certainly feasible that Urias, in time, will begin to click on the mound, as he did in Triple-A this year. Was it a risk for the Dodgers to bring Urias up this early? Certainly his age could have been an excuse enough for the organization to keep him in the minors longer. But Urias is immensely talented, and he wouldn’t be in the major leagues if he didn’t have the arm talent and the composure on the mound.

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If Urias’ struggles continue for an extended period of time, it’d be understandable if the Dodgers send him to the minor leagues to iron things out. But in the meantime, after just two starts, now is not the time to panic in regards to Julio Urias.

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