Dodgers News: Julio Urias Lands in Top 5 of Upcoming Free Agent Class
This year hasn't been an easy one for Julio Urias.
The Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander spent a sizable portion of his season on the injured list with a nagging groin injury, then made his return to the mound, only for his rhythm not to come back with him.
Getting rocked for eight runs and the loss in a July outing against the Baltimore Orioles was the low point, and the crafty lefty needed to figure things out quickly -- both for his team and his value in free agency.
But things have turned around since for the impending free agent, and two straight scoreless outings are a testament to that.
And despite his rocky 2023 campaign, the soon-to-be 27-year-old finds himself ranked in the top five of the upcoming free agent class, per Jim Bowden of The Athletic.
Urias is in the No. 4 spot, and here's what Bowden had to say about the hurler that may just be recapturing his form:
"Urías is having a down season (9-6, 4.39 ERA in 17 starts) and will need to finish strong to show interested teams that he can pitch like he did the past two years. He led the NL with a 20-3 record in 2021, then led the league with a 2.16 ERA in 31 starts last year. His velocity and command are down a tick this season. Teams will be monitoring both between now and the end of the season."
Urias' velocity being down is true, as he has an average fastball velocity of 92.7 MPH this season compared to 93.1 MPH in 2022, per Baseball Savant.
That said, his breaking balls are still sharp and opponents are hitting just .226 off his slurve.
The elements of what made Urias great are still there despite a poor start to his year, but he'll try to finish it on a high note, as the Dodgers attempt to make a deep run through October and the lefty attempts to cash in this offseason.
