Los Angeles Dodgers Cy Young hopeful Julio Urias looked to be in midseason form in his Spring Training debut Tuesday, allowing one run on one hit while also striking out four batters in two and 2/3 innings of work.
The 26-year-old starting pitcher was charged with the loss in the exhibition game versus the Cincinnati Reds, but he showed no signs of any rust. More importantly, he felt extremely comfortable on the mound.
“Felt really good out there, felt like I was attacking the zone, attacking the strike zone, and making good pitches.” Julio Urías told SportsNet LA.
Urias is coming off a stellar 2022 season in which he recorded a National League-best 2.16 ERA as well as an impressive 0.960 WHIP. His efforts would have landed him the Cy Young Award most seasons, but in a historically deep field it earned third place. Urias will have a little extra incentive to snag the honors in 2023 though, as he is set to enter free agency after the season.
LA and the southpaw agreed to a one-year, $14.25 million deal in January to avoid arbitration. An extension before next offseason seems very unlikely. Fans do not need to see any more evidence to know that they want Urias in Dodger Blue for a long time. The organization will have many things to consider, as they are expected to be heavily in the mix for unicorn Shohei Ohtani.
The only focus Urias and fans have now, though, is a World Series Championship. Him quickly getting acclimated to the new pitch clock is an encouraging first step toward that season-long objective.
Fans will not get to see much more from Urias in Spring Training, as he gets set to represent his native Mexico in the World Baseball Classic starting March 7th. Facing the best hitters in the game at a fairly high level of competition could make him even sharper ahead of Opening Day.
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