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Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 2019 Outlook: Plate Discipline Must Improve To Avoid Regression
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. won't be much more than a solid source of batting average in 2019. The 25-year-old had a good rookie season for the Blue Jays, hitting .281 in 65 games. What really caught people’s attention was the Cuban's production in the month of June. He was red-hot, hitting .423/.648/.1.086, and in the process set a rookie record with 11 multi-hit games in a row. However, a big problem for Gurriel Jr. is his plate discipline, walking only nine times all season. He swung at 39.3 % of pitches thrown outside the zone and swung at 53% of all pitches he faced, not a recipe for success. A .326 BABIP helped bolster his overall stats in 2018 but is likely to subject him to regression this upcoming season. On a positive note, in a small 71 AB sample size against lefties, the middle infielder had an encouraging .310 AVG with a .826 OPS. He definitely has upside and will see a lot of playing time, provided he can stay healthy. However, his numbers show that his June hot streak may be an outlier, and in a sub-par Blue Jays lineup, he won’t have the opportunity to excel in many counting stats. His ADP of 221 seems fair, especially considering his dual eligibility at 2B/SS in some leagues.
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