Lourdes Gurriel

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.