With Joc Pederson and Corey Seager playing significant roles with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the next anticipated arrival centered around top pitching prospect Julio Urias. His time arrived Friday, with Urias receiving the call to make his Major League debut against the New York Mets.
Former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti all but declared the trio untradable in years past, and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman largely held the same stance. While Friedman publicly stated no player is truly untradable, it was evident the Dodgers were not inclined to part with any of Pederson, Seager or Urias.
They’ve been the backbone of a resurgent farm system that Baseball America rated No. 1 overall entering the 2016 season. While Pederson and Seager are entrenched with the Dodgers, Urias’ stint in the Majors may very well be short-lived.
Friedman was non-committal when discussing the immediate future beyond Urias’ start on Friday night. There’s consideration being given to using the young left-hander in a hybrid starter/reliever role, either with the Dodgers and/or Triple-A Oklahoma City, as the organization caps his workload.
As for another home-grown prospect making his MLB debut, Friedman spoke to the significance and excitement it brings, via Bill Plunkett of the OC Register:
“There’s a little bit of excitement each and every time you bring someone up who’s going to make their major-league debut,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Thursday. “It’s a great organizational moment. He’s a Dodgers sign, developed through our system and debuting in a Dodgers uniform. That’s a really special thing for a lot of different departments that are involved that make it a fun thing for everybody.”
Urias was scouted and brought to the Dodgers’ attention in 2012 by the famed Mike Brito. He and then-Dodgers scouting director Logan White were in Mexico to scout Yasiel Puig, and took a quick trip to see Urias.
He was signed months prior to turning 16 years old, and has quickly ascended the Minor League ranks despite being younger than the competition he faced at each level. Urias this season was 4-1 and led the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League with a 1.10 ERA and 0.78 WHIP; Urias also put his streak of 27 consecutive scoreless innings on hold.
