Lourdes Gurriel

Gurriel maintained a high batting average and on base rate, but his power fell to a career low. At the end of the season, it was revealed he had been playing with a wrist issue, which required surgery in the offseason. Gurriel also missed most of September with a sore hamstring. he chased less, resulting in a personal-low strikeout rate. Gurriel's batted ball distribution was typical, but he hit grounders harder while losing exit velocity on fly balls, dropping his HR/FB to a meager 4.2%. Gurriel hit a career-high 32 doubles, so he was more useful in points-leagues. Gurriel is slated to be healthy in the spring and should remain in left field after being traded to the Diamondbacks, though he'll need to compete for playing time with the club's young plethora of outfielders. It's unclear how much of his drop in homers was related to playing with a sore wrist. With no steals and possibly waning power, Gurriel has slipped to a back-end outfielder in mixed leagues, best used as a batting average stabilizer, especially with his chances for runs and RBI likely to diminish in a weaker Arizona lineup.

Gurriel had an OK season, providing some power with a decent batting average. Even though his steals are drying up (one steal in four attempts), he was a fine third or fourth outfielder. The season didn't start out great for him, with Gurriel posting a .710 first-half OPS, but he raised it in the second half to .889. He improved across the board, especially with his walk rate doubling (3.8% to 8.8%) and his strikeout rate dropping (20.1% to 17.1%). Being more selective meant his Isolated Power (.160 to .233) and BABIP (.296 to .318) improved. He might have been struggling early with COVID systems but eventually got healthy. It's tough to know if he'll keep the second-half gains, but that upside does exist for him. Pay for the 2021 season knowing there is a second gear.

Year 3 for Gurriel saw another step forward, offensively. He cut down on his chase rate and shaved his strikeout rate to 21.4%. Gurriel ranked in the top 10% of the league in hard-hit rate. Like his brother, Lourdes is an aggressive hitter who is not particularly interested in taking walks. That dings him a bit in OBP leagues, but there's a lot to like here regardless. Gurriel will hit for power and also swipe a few bags although his sprint speed is below league average, so any major growth in that department seems unlikely. He has handled same-handed pitching quite well in his career (.281/.325/.480 vs. RHP) and it's hard to see him being a negative in the BA category even if there's significant giveback. Absent from 2020 were the injury woes of seasons past, aside from a side issue which cost Gurriel the Opening Day start. If he's ever going to stay healthy and turn into a fantasy star, this is the year.

In a Blue Jays offense ripe with young talent, Gurriel could tend to be overshadowed, though he put together a respectable season of his own. The 26-year-old was sent to Triple-A in mid-April after sputtering to start the year, but managed to turn things around once he returned, hitting .292/.339/.580 after his recall to the majors May 24 (71 games). He battled through knee and quad injuries before being shut down due to appendicitis in late September, after lower-body issues cut short his 2018 season. Gurriel has room for improvement in his walk rate (5.8%) and strikeout rate (25.1%), but he makes the most of his limited contact with a 43.5% hard-hit rate. Gurriel is OF-only in most leagues, and it could very well remain that way since he was not a good defender in the infield. Regardless, Gurriel could be a mid-round value thanks to his batting average and power potential.

In his first taste of the majors, Gurriel hit .281 and flashed some pop. At one point in July, he had an 11-game multi-hit streak, during which he batted an even .500 (25-for-50). It was the longest such streak by a rookie in major-league history. A pair of lower-body injuries derailed his season, and the "expected" numbers from Statcast suggest he overachieved a bit, but he rarely made soft contact and Gurriel showed an ability to go to the opposite field. Much like his brother, Lourdes rarely takes a walk (3.4%). He also proved to be a liability at shortstop, but he was passable at second base and there's little doubt that the rebuilding Blue Jays will give Gurriel regular at-bats in 2019 to evaluate his future in the organization. Batting average is tough to find outside the first several rounds of a draft, and Gurriel showed enough in that department as a 24-year-old to warrant a flier in most formats.

A chiseled 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Gurriel definitely looks the part of a quality prospect, but he has been a flop thus far since signing a seven-year, $22 million deal with the Blue Jays last offseason. Gurriel suffered a hamstring injury in his first pro game, which cost him two months, and he scuffled at High-A and Double-A after returning. The one bright spot from his first pro season was the .291/.309/.494 slash line he posted in 79 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League. He walked just once over that span, but at least he flashed the potential to do some damage with the bat, hitting seven doubles and three home runs. Gurriel split time between second base and shortstop in his first season, but he doesn't have the range for shortstop, and fits better at second or third base. He turned 24 this offseason, so the clock is ticking for him to prove he can be more than a utility player in the big leagues.

The younger, less-accomplished brother of Yulieski Gurriel, Lourdes signed a seven-year, $22 million deal with the Blue Jays this offseason. He waited until he turned 23 in October to sign the deal so he would not be subject to international bonus pools. Often the best gauge of a Cuban or Asian talent is the open market price tag, and for Gurriel's prime years to come at a $3.14 million average annual value is a red flag. The general consensus pegs him as roughly average with his hit, power and speed tools, with the hit and power potentially being fringe average. He will likely begin 2017 at Double-A where he will play shortstop until he proves he can't handle the position. Most evaluators expect him to end up at second, third or left field. The sum of the tools might be a utility player that is more valuable in real life than fantasy. He could overshoot that projection, particularly if his hit tool is better than the market thought, but the upside does not appear to match the name value.