Julio Urías is set to represent the Los Angeles Dodgers on Team Mexico during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, which begins on March 7.
The left-hander previously announced his intention to join the team last September, and he joins a group of multiple Dodgers who are set to participate in the WBC, including Freddie Freeman (Team Canada), Mookie Betts and Will Smith (Team USA), Austin Barnes (Team Mexico), Trayce Thompson (Team Great Britain), David Peralta (Team Venezuela) and Miguel Rojas (Team Venezuela).
“It’s going to be a very special thing for me and a very special moment for everybody to represent Team Mexico,” Urías said through a translator in September. “Mexico is everything for me, and to be able to represent the country, and like I’ve said before, when I pitch here at Dodger Stadium, I feel like it’s part of Little Mexico, and now I get to pitch amongst all my fans.”
As Urías prepares to pitch for Team Mexico with the Dodgers during Spring Training, he’s also making sure he’ll be representing his country in style with a pair of custom cleats from Under Armour that features the Mexican Flag on them, along with red and green laces, via Juan Toribio of MLB.com:
#Dodgers Julio Urías is ready for the World Baseball Classic pic.twitter.com/euKqjs7Nxy
— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) February 22, 2023
Urías was previously excluded from pitching for Team Mexico in 2017, but the expectations are much higher for him now as he has developed into one of baseball’s best pitchers. He is considered to be the captain of Team Mexico, according to their general manager Rodrigo López.
The 26-year-old is coming off a strong season where he went 17-7 with a National League-best 2.16 ERA, 3.71 FIP and 0.96 WHIP in 175 innings over 31 starts. He took home the Warren Spahn Award for a second consecutive year and earned All-MLB honors by being selected to the Second Team.
Julio Urías contract status
The 2023 season is the final year Urías is under team control, as he and the Dodgers agreed to a $14.25 million salary. That came through the final time Urías was eligible for the arbitration process and he now is due to become a free agent this winter.
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