Spring Training Roundup: Ups And Downs Of Urias

Baseball is back and at Baseball America, that means it’s time again to track the progress of prospects. We’ll update you each day on how some of the game’s most prominent prospects fared at spring training.

Julio Urias, the top pitching prospect in the game and No. 4 overall, made his spring debut to much fanfare, and in his first inning, showed why he’s rated that high.

Pitching in the seventh inning for the Dodgers against the Angels on Friday, the 19-year-old Mexican struck out the first three batters he faced—Geovany Soto, Gregorio Petit and Todd Cunningham—using, according to an evaluator on hand—a curveball that showed depth, a short, diving slider and a fastball that ranged 92 to 97 mph.

Urias got Soto looking at a curve for strike three, and got Petit on a fastball on a checked swing and Cunningham on a check on a slider down and in.

In the eighth inning, however, Urias—whose spring has been slowed by a groin injury—gave up a single to Jefry Marte, an RBI double to David Fletcher, an RBI triple to Nick Buss and a walk. He was removed from the game and was charged with three runs and the loss.

“I had trouble with the command of my fastball,” the 19-year-old Urias told reporters through an interpreter. “The first inning, my adrenaline was flowing and I pitched well. I tried to relax in the second inning, take a few deep breaths but it didn’t work out the way I wanted it to work out.”

An evaluator, who compared Urias to Johan Santana, said pitch selection doomed Urias in that second inning, but that his stuff was still excellent.

Manager Dave Roberts told reporters he removed Urias at that point because, “We’re still sensitive to his pitch count so we got him up around 40 pitches, something like that. He made pitches. Then when he was up in the zone, they took advantage of it. But it was still a productive outing for him.”

With injuries to Brett Anderson and the slow return of Hyun-Jin Ryu, there has been speculation Urias could make the big club out of spring at just 19, with the obvious comparisons to Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican lefthander who blazed to the majors at just 20 in 1980.

However, the Dodgers have been careful with Urias’ innings and pitch count. The 87 2/3 innings he pitched in 2014 are his biggest workload to date. Still, Roberts said there’s an opportunity for Urias to make the roster, although he’s pitched just 72 innings above high Class A and just four in Triple-A.

“(It’s) realistic in the sense that I think we’re talking about an innings limit,” Roberts told reporters. “Whether that’s in the beginning of the season and then be kind of tapered down to the finish, whether he’s getting innings here or in Triple-A—if he’s throwing well enough and we feel good enough for him to be in that spot, it’s realistic.”

THE LINEUP

Nine newsmakers from Friday’s action.

1. Joey Gallo, 3b, Rangers: Gallo—he of the top-of-the-scale power—unleashed his first homer this spring, a long, three-run blast onto the berm in right field off the Brewers’ Matt Garza. “He’s got a good swing, you know? But if I see him again, I’ll break his bat,” Garza told reporters. “I’m not worried about it. He’s a big boy. He hit the hell out of a high fastball on 2-0. So, next time, I’ll get him. I’m not worried about it.” The Rangers want strikeout-prone Gallo to be more patient, but they don’t want him to lose the aggression to attack a pitch the way he attacked Garza’s 2-0 fastball. “Last year, it wasn’t that I couldn’t hit,” Gallo told Gerry Fraley. “I wasn’t being patient. … I want to get as many at-bats as I can and prove that it’s not the same as last year. I’m making the adjustment I need to make.”

2. Austin Barnes, c, Dodgers: Barnes stands as No. 3 on the catching depth chart right now, which means he’s more likely headed to Triple-A Oklahoma City. But he’s sure opening the Dodgers’ eyes, hitting his second homer in three days and getting a start behind the plate after playing second and third base. The Dodgers appreciate the 26-year-old’s versatility and he could force his way onto the Opening Day roster. “Austin is a dynamic player,” manager Dave Roberts told the L.A. Daily News.

3. Jose Peraza, ss, Reds: Peraza, acquired in the three-team deal that delivered Todd Frazier to the White Sox, could have been the Reds’ starter at second base had Brandon Phillips accepted a deal to the Nationals. Now, Peraza’s versatility could bring him north to start the season as he’s played second, shortstop and center field this spring. Peraza played short—his natural position—and rapped out three hits, including a homer off John Lackey to begin the game. The homer’s an anomaly, but Peraza has skills such as speed, defense and on-base ability that would benefit the Reds off the bench.

4. Taylor Motter, 2b, Rays: The versatile Motter—who’d be the perfect Joe Maddon player—has played all around the field this spring and has hit as well. He hit his first homer of the spring Friday and added a run-scoring double and is 7-for-18 so far. With his energy, athleticism and versatility, the Coastal Carolina alum is competing for a spot on the Rays’ bench.

5. Steven Moya lf, Tigers: The power the 6-foot-7 Moya generates is without question. The question is whether he can make enough contact to make it worthwhile. Moya’s long arms translate to a long swing and he has a tendency to chase out of the zone. Still, when he hits it—with his double-plus power—it goes, and that was the case Friday when he connected with a Ken Giles offering for a two-run homer, his third this spring. Moya performed well in winter ball, but despite that and his spring exploits, he has virtually no chance to make the big club.

6. Michael Fulmer, rhp, Tigers: The Tigers’ top prospect—part of the return from the Mets for Yoenis Cespedes—Fulmer is a big, physical righthander the Mets parted with only because they needed a bat and because they’re the rare team with enough depth to part with a young, power pitcher. Fulmer immediately became Detroit’s best prospect, armed with a fastball that sits 92-94 and touches 97 with heavy sink. Durability remains a question, but if Fulmer can’t handle a starter’s workload, he could be a dynamic back-end-of-the-bullpen type. On Friday, he struggled with command, walking three and allowing three runs on Colby Rasmus’ homer.

7. Tyler White, 1b, Astros: White has plenty of competition in his attempt to win a job with the Astros—Minor League Player of the Year runner-up A.J. Reed, slugger Jon Singleton, fellow bat-first first baseman Matt Duffy—but White has done what he does best so far: hit. He had two more hits Friday and is 9-for-20 this spring. Despite his defensive shortcomings, White could force his way onto the roster, even if he does not win the first base job outright.

8. Vicente Campos, rhp, Yankees: Formerly known as Jose Campos, the physical Venezuelan righthander came to the Yankees as part of the Michael Pineda-Jesus Montero deal. He rose as high as No. 5 in both Seattle and New York’s farm systems, but missed 2014 because of Tommy John surgery. Despite the surgery—and a 7.05 ERA—the Yankees saw enough in 2015 to put him on the 40-man roster. At this best, Campos has a mid-90s fastball and a curve and change that flash plus. He pitched two innings Friday, struck out two and allowed an unearned run.

9. Mychal Givens, rhp, Orioles: Givens, a Top 10 prospect as a shortstop, burst into the majors in 2015, but now he performs from a mound. Givens provided the Orioles another power arm for their already-strong bullpen, pumping his 92-96 mph fastball from a three-quarters arm slot. Givens struck out 38 and walked just six, leaning on his slider in the bigs. On Friday, he threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts.