Julio Urias, Joc Pederson, Corey Seager named Dodgers’ top minor leaguers

Teenage left-hander Julio Urias has been named the Dodgers’ minor league pitcher of the year.

Urias, who turned 18 last month, will be recognized at Dodger Stadium on Friday, along with the organization’s co-minor league players of the year, outfielder Joc Pederson and infielder Corey Seager.

Pederson is on the Dodgers’ major league roster.

Because Urias is from Mexico, he is often compared to Fernando Valenzuela. But Urias throws considerably harder than Valenzuela ever did, as his fastball touches the high-90s.

Urias pitched in a major league game in spring training. He tossed a perfect inning against the San Diego Padres, striking out two of the three batters he faced.

Valenzuela was impressed.

“It’s hard to say we’re the same,” Valenzuela said at the time. “I don’t even remember what I was like at that age. But I can tell you he’s a gamer. He likes to pitch. That’s the main thing. He likes the game, he likes to challenge the hitters.”

Asked whether his father ever told him stories about Valenzuela, Urias replied, “My grandfather did.”

Urias spent the regular season in Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, where he was 2-2 with a 2.36 earned-run average in 25 games, including 20 starts. At 17, he became the youngest player ever selected for the Futures Game.

Pederson, 22, was the most valuable player in the triple-A Pacific Coast League. He became only the fourth player in league history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season.

Pederson earned his first-ever promotion to the major leagues on Sept. 1.

Seager, who turned 20 is April, is now widely considered the top prospect in the organization. The Dodgers’ first-round selection in 2012, Seager started the season in Rancho Cucamonga, where he batted .352 with 18 home runs and 70 RBIs in 80 games.

He was promoted to Double-A Chattanooga on July 17. He played 38 games in double A, batting .345 with two home runs and 27 runs batted in.