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Pirates Offered $200,000 To Mexican Pitcher Julio César Urías

According to Fernando Ballesteros at the Mexican website Puro Beisbol, the Pirates made a substantial offer to Julio César Urías, a left-handed pitcher from Culiacán. Urías, who is 15 years old, apparently can already throw 88 miles an hour. Unfortunately for us, his parents wouldn't allow him to agree to accept our offer - at least, not yet. The piece indicates that there are several other MLB clubs interested, as well as the LMB's Diablos Rojos. This October 10th article by Rodrigo Peiro of Linea Directa says that in addition to the Pirates, the Braves, Cubs, Giants, Phillies, and Rangers are in on Urías. Of course, no deal can be formally signed with any MLB team until Urías turns 16.

According to Marco Antonio Arellano of noroeste.com, the Pirates' Mexican scouting supervisor Jesús Valdez first encountered Urías at a tryout in Culiacán in March. Approximately thirty players worked out for Valdez, and he singled out Urías and a right-hander named Édgar Arredondo as the two pitchers who caught his eye, citing their youth and size. The article also indicates that Urías, who was still 14 at that time, was clocked at 84 MPH at that workout. Since then, according to this piece from beisbolinfantil.com, Urías has thrown a no-hitter to lead his amateur team to a championship, played for the Mexican national team in the youth World Cup, and thrown out the opening pitch for the LMP season. Not too shabby.

The Puro Beisbol article also makes reference to the Pirates offering to pay for the cost of rehabilitating one of Urías's eyes as part of their offer. This piece from 2010 indicates that he was born with a tumor in his left eye, and that he required surgery to correct the condition.

Below the jump, there's some video of him throwing during a workout in 2010. There's no guarantee of anything with kids that young, but he's got a low-effort delivery and some snap to the fastball, which are both good signs.