January 28, 2025

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurries Jr. carries a high floor for RBI and HR production batting in a potent Arizona lineup. After posting a strong .261/.309/.463 line with 35 doubles, 24 home runs, and 82 RBI in his first season in Arizona in 2023, Gurriel took a slight step back in 2024 as he held a .279/.322/.435 line with 22 doubles, 18 home runs, and 75 RBI. However, he did tally two more stolen bases (seven) and scored seven more runs (72) compared to his 2023 production. His drop in power is quite noticeable when looking at his underlying metrics. In 2024, the 31-year-old saw his hard-hit rate drop six percentage points (46% - 40%) compared to 2023 and barrel rate drop 1.7% (8.4% - 6.7%). However, he raised his fly-ball rate by three points and lowered his ground-ball rate by five points, which is a positive sign and should help offset the drop in hard-hit rates heading into 2025. Fantasy managers should expect Gurriel to continue to bat in the heart of the Arizona lineup that will welcome first baseman Josh Naylor, potentially opening up even more RBI opportunities. Playing in a favorable hitting environment in Chase Field (second-highest offensive Park Factor according to Statcast in 2024) and behind several star players like Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll, fantasy managers should target Gurriel with confidence at his 219.5 ADP on the NFBC if needing high RBI upside.--Andy Smith