Dodgers News: Austin Barnes Doesn't Hold Back Appreciation For Julio Urias

The skillset presented by Dodgers ace Julio Urias cannot be understated. In 2022, the left-hander doubled down on a breakout 2021 season and showed why he was one of the best pitchers in the game.

One man who has been on the receiving end of many Urias starts -- 33 to be exact -- is Austin Barnes. The long-time Dodger catcher has been able to see the growth and maturation of Julio while getting a front row view of what NL ERA leader does to the competition.

Moreover, Barnes joined the panel of analysts on SportsNet LA's Access Dodgers show this week where he shared praise for his batterymate.

“His demeanor, his pitch ability, there’s just so much about him. Seeing his evolution, though, since I first came to the Dodgers when he was, I don’t know how old, 17-year-old, he was the teenager right. And him coming into the kind of pitcher he is now, his fastball, his special curveball and his real good changeup, he’s a special talent and he’s even a better teammate which is kind of hard to do.”

Urias has shown his elite performance throughout his career and he's only going to continue getting better each time out.

“He’s just so consistent each start. You said he gets better in the second half. He gets better in those big games, too, it seems like. He’s just so consistent. His curveball it breaks so many different ways. He can really drive that fastball in on righties’ hands … He just has a lot of weapons to get people out. And his durability has been pretty good, too. I think he threw a lot of innings this year and he put up a really special year.”

The winning formula for the Dodgers runs through Urias and there are no signs of this slowing down anytime soon.