The Los Angeles Dodgers farm system is among the best in baseball, as president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and his front office have made that a priority since taking over after the 2014 season.
The top prospect in the Dodgers organization, and one of the top prospects in baseball, Julio Urias, is in the midst of a second go-around with Triple-A Oklahoma City despite being just 19 years old.
Urias has seen time in big league camp the last two springs, and while the thought of him pitching at the Major League level has been entertained, it has not yet happened up to this point.
According to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times, Friedman saw improvement in Urias this spring when compared to 2015:
“It was clear to us that he wasn’t ready last year,” Friedman said. “This spring, we could see a real scenario in which he could impact this team in 2016.” Friedman said the Dodgers plan to give Urias some sort of break this summer.
“There’s always temptation to bring them up,” Friedman said, “but especially when you’re in a competitive situation, if you don’t feel like a player’s development is complete, it’s a difficult thing to do while trying to win as well.” However, he added: “There’s part of that development that can only happen at the major league level.”
Friedman’s remarks were made prior to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealing the club has held discussions centered around calling up Urias this season to aid the bullpen.
Urias is 3-1 this season in five games (four starts) with Oklahoma City, with a 1.88 ERA and 0.71 WHIP. He’s totaled 29 strikeouts to just three walks over 24 innings pitched. Urias’ last start was perhaps his best as a professional, as he threw six no-hit innings while striking out six and facing the minimum.
