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Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 2021 Player Outlook: A Safer Play Than Those Around Him
4 years agoIt may seem odd to declare someone without a full season played as safe, but that is the resume Gurriel has built. While many others floundered in 2020, Gurriel continued his ascendance in fantasy circles. In parts of three seasons, he has yet to have a bad showing, culminating in his .882 OPS in 57 games last season. The hard-hit percentage was in the 91st percentile, along with an 11.7 barrel rate and 90.8 average exit velocity. The downsides to Gurriel's game are when he doesn't put the bat squarely on the ball. His 34th percentile sprint speed and negative-value baserunning do nothing to aid his quest to grab a base. His walk rate remained very low as well, ranking in the 21st percentile in '20. The walk rate is trending up though. It has gone from 3.4% to 5.8% to 6.3%. If he continues to make strides in that department, it can help cover one of the few holes in his game. Managers still seem hesitant to trust Gurriel, but besides the samples being piecemeal, we have seen little reason not to. Full-time at-bats are headed his way in '21, which should result in career-highs in all counting stats across the board. With an ADP near 100, there are far riskier selections around him in drafts.
