Dodgers May Limit Arm of 20-Year Old Pitcher Julio Urias

There has been speculation that Julio Urias will begin the season at extended spring training. Furthermore, his innings may be limited to protect his 20-year-old arm. Is this beneficial to the Dodgers, or just hurt them?

Even fans of the Dodgers probably questioned the Washington Nationals in 2012 for shutting down Stephen Strasburg before the postseason. Strasburg was arguably their best pitcher, but also their future. So they sacrificed their “win now” mentality for increasing his arm health for future title contention.

Unfortunately for them, it has not panned out that way. Despite making three postseason trips in the last five years, Strasburg has only pitched one postseason game due to injuries. Perhaps the Nationals knew that Strasburg’s arm motion was health hazardous and needed to limit him, or maybe it was due to Strasburg’s lack of conditioning pitching those extra high-stress innings that led to his injuries.

Julio Urias faces a similar situation in that he plays for a contending team with loads of talent that can make up for his potential absence. Unlike Strasburg, however, he is not the ace of the staff, so there isn’t that added pressure. Additionally, Urias’ arm motion is not as explosive as Strasburg so that can mean a lower risk of injury.

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Though Urias is not the ace of the staff, he is potentially vital for the Dodgers to push through the threshold of last year’s problem of finding a legitimate third starter. Kenta Maeda did a fine job during the season but ran out of gas in the postseason. This was somewhat expected since it was his first time playing in a longer, more laborious major league season.

There have been several standout 20-year-old arms that out-shined the brightest lights on the biggest stage. The Dodgers are no stranger to throwing out young left-handed arms. Fernando Valenzuela and Clayton Kershaw are the two prime examples of successful 20 year-olds.

However, countless star pitchers had their careers cut short due to lack of arm protection. Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, and even Dodger great, Sandy Koufax, were all forced to hang up the cleats before or at age 30. Fernando Valenzuela even lost his dynamic effect shortly after his amazing rookie season.

Julio Urias struggled with his command when he first came up last season, but was dominant in the second half. He threw three lights out innings against the Cubs, but he and the Dodgers lost steam in the fourth inning of Game 4. Though Kershaw didn’t face the same amount of protection as perhaps Urias or Strasburg, it is probably wiser to have Urias start the season at extended Spring Training.

With a loaded starting staff to start the season, there is no need to force Urias to pitch a full season. Still, the Dodgers are not a better team without him so he should pitch the second half uninterrupted. If the Dodgers make the postseason, the experience of being slotted in as a starter will make him a more complete pitcher.

Next: What Did Dodgers Get With Romo and Forsythe?

Lastly, a warm welcome back to Chase Utley, who will once again try to lead the Dodgers on another charge deeper into October.