Dodger Greats, Then and Now: Julio Urías and Fernando Valenzuela

In case you missed our first edition of Dodger Greats, Then and Now, here’s the drill: We’re taking a look at Dodger heroes past and present, just for kicks, and maybe learning a little something about how the game has changed in the process. This week, it’s time for El Culichi vs. El Toro.

Pitcher: Fernando Valenzuela and Julio Urías

Julio and Fernando— two lefthanded Mexican phenoms who have certainly made their marks on Los Angeles—have more in common than their home country. We’re comparing Urías’s 2022 season to Valenzuela’s 1986, when, coincidentally, both players were 25 years old and in their seventh pro season. Urías played and started in 31 games this year, while Valenzuela played in and started 34. Both pitched their home games at Dodger Stadium.

On the Mound

Given that pitchers were still throwing complete games in the ‘80s—Valenzuela notched 20 in 1986—it’s no surprise that some of his numbers are much higher than Urias’s. Most notable: 269.1 innings pitched compared to 175, nearly double the number of runs allowed (104 to 51), and significantly more strikeouts (242 compared to 166). Valenzuela also threw three shutout games.

Urías did lead in a couple of categories: He allowed 23 homers compared to Valenzuela’s 18 and hit five batters, while Valenzuela only whacked one. And, more positively, Urías didn’t throw a single wild pitch all season. His counterpart let 13 loose.

Here’s some more detailed insight into their seasons:

Seven-Season Figures

The idea here is to compare seasons when it comes to our Dodgers past and present, but with pitchers, it’s worth taking a look at some different numbers over a longer period. Check out stats calculated based on a nine-inning average for Urías and Valenzuela during their first seven seasons, and you’ll see that the two appear to be on more level ground:

Urías and Valenzuela have a nearly identical ERA and a similar number of strikeouts per nine innings through seven seasons—though Urías gets the edge when it comes to winning percentage.

League Leads, Career Highs, and Awards

Some major awards have yet to come out for 2022, but Urías is a finalist for the Cy Young (Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves and Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins round out the finalists). Valenzuela finished second in Cy Young voting in 1986, behind Mike Scott of the Houston Astros. Urías was also in the mix for the National League Outstanding Pitcher award, which went to Alcantara. When it comes to the leaderboard, Urías’s 2.16 ERA was the best in the National League.

Valenzuela’s other honors in 1986 consisted of an All-Star spot, his last of six while playing for the Dodgers, and a Gold Glove. He led the league in wins (21) and batters faced (1,102), and all of the majors in complete games (20—unheard of nowadays). Those 20 complete games also marked a career high, along with his 242 strikeouts.

So, who’s up next? Let us know who you’d like to see featured.

Stats, as usual, courtesy of Stathead and Baseball Prospectus.