The final line on 20-year-old left-handed phenom Julio Urias on Monday morning in his 2017 season debut with the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate Oklahoma City Dodgers is both good and not so good.

The not so good is that he allowed two earned runs, walked four and allowed a run to score on a wild pitch in his 3.2 innings of work.

The good – great, actually – is that he struck out five of the 16 batters he faced while allowing only two hits (both singles), and 45 of his 79 pitches were strikes.

That 79-pitch thing is a bit interesting, as the Dodgers have made it crystal clear that they plan(ed) to limit Urias’ pitch count – at least in the early goings of the 2017 season. And while 79 pitches isn’t an excessive number by any means, it’s probably a bit more than the Dodgers had planned for their number one pitching prospect to make in his first outing of the season and a bit high for only 3.2 innings pitched, although a 21.5 pitches-per-inning average also isn’t an excessive number.

During his combined 8.1 spring training innings pitched, Urias struck out nine while walking four.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Fans who have followed the young Culiacan, Mexico native closely during his four professional seasons that included 18 games (15 starts) for the Dodgers in 2016 are very well aware that Urias is a very fierce competitor. In fact, during Monday’s season debut against the Iowa Cubs, he appeared visibly upset over the four walks he allowed – possibly because he felt he was being squeezed by home plate umpire Ronnie Teague.

Although there is no time frame for when Urias will join the big club, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has repeatedly said that Urias will pitch for the Dodgers this season. He also said that they will continue to limit his innings while he is pitching in the minor leagues.

“It’s to continue where he’s at, as opposed to completely shutting him down,” Roberts said. “We have a lot of people who have studied the biomechanics of pitching and the arm. With the medical staff, we feel that’s what is the best thing for Julio.

“He’s close,” Roberts added. “I think we’ll try to pick our spots and use him accordingly and when we do need him he’ll be ready. But we’re not ready to say when that day is going to be … Some time at the end of the month makes sense.”

Even tough the ‘when’ is unknown for Urias to join the Dodgers rotation in 2017, it’s hard to believe that (Heaven forbid) should another Dodger starter land on the disabled list, Urias will not be among the top candidates to move into the Dodgers starting rotation. And if 2016 is any indication, it could happen sooner rather than later.

Stay tuned…