After leading the Majors with 20 wins and finishing fifth in National League Cy Young Award voting during the 2021 campaign, Julio Urías continued his ascension into one of the top starting pitchers in baseball last season.
The southpaw emerged as the ace of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff while Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw dealt with injuries.
Urías was a model of consistency as he never posted an ERA higher than 3.09 during any month of the 2022 season. He completed the first half with an 8-6 record, 2.89 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 96.2 innings pitched over 18 starts but was snubbed from the All-Star Game.
The 26-year-old was disappointed by the outcome but quickly moved past it and had an even better second half. He went 9-1 with a minuscule 1.26 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 78.1 innings pitched across 13 starts.
Urías finished the year 17-7 to go along with a 2.16 ERA, 3.71 FIP, 0.96 WHIP and 166 strikeouts across 175 innings over 31 starts. He led the NL in ERA and ERA+ (194) and held opponents to a .199 batting average.
Urías allowed three runs on four hits over five innings of work in his only start against the San Diego Padres in the NL Division Series.
Urías was a Cy Young Award finalist but only placed third behind winner Sandy Alcántara of the Miami Marlins and second-place finisher Atlanta Braves’ Max Fried.
Urías nonetheless was named the winner of the 2022 Warren Spahn Award, which is presented annually by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame to the best left-handed pitcher in baseball.
He also received one vote for third place in NL MVP voting, giving him eight points and a 14th place finish. Urías additionally earned All-MLB honors by being selected to the Second Team.
Julio Urías 2022 highlight
Urías was nearly unhittable during the month of August, going 4-1 with a 0.90 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 10.2 strikeouts per nine in 30 innings pitched (five starts).
2023 outlook
Urías was among the Dodgers’ 10 players eligible for arbitration this offseason, and he agreed to a reported $14.25 million salary this year.
Urías will once again be key to the Dodgers’ success in 2023, and before the season starts, is expected to represent Team Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
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