Blue Jays: Evaluating Lourdes Gurriel’s Performance So Far

Lourdes Gurriel Jr., a Cuban prospect with an interesting family history, made Blue Jays fans take notice after an impressive debut. Since then, he’s appeared in multiple games for the Jays, flashing the leather and putting up good at-bats in his first major league stint.

In case you haven’t heard it enough from the Blue Jays broadcast team, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is a great athlete. He’s confident, agile, and has the quick hands that every middle infielder wishes they had.

Upon being called up on April 20th, it was unclear just what role Gurriel would play. In 12 games, he’s slashed .211/.231/.289 with one home run and five RBI. He’s struck out seven times in 39 plate appearances (17.9% K rate) and has walked once (2.5% BB rate). With an OPS of just .520, it’s safe to say that he’s cooled off quite a bit since his debut, in which he clubbed two singles and recorded three RBI.

On the other side of the ball, the native of Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, has showed excellent defense, committing no errors in 88 total innings, 72 at second base and 16 at shortstop. He’s turned some fine double plays, and has been good enough for an overall WAR of 0.1, according to Fangraphs.

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It’s an incredibly small sample size, so it’s quite unfair to evaluate him based on the few games he’s played. That being said, there’s been a lot of signs of promise in the young Gurriel. After being signed to a seven-year, $22 million contract in 2016, this is his first major league stint.

Lourdes Gurriel continues to be a regular for the Blue Jays, at least for the time being. With the immense struggles of Devon Travis and Gift Ngoepe and a mediocre start from Aledmys Diaz, combined with the recent release of Danny Espinosa, Gurriel has shot to the top of the depth chart for middle infielders.

Overall, it’s been incredibly fun to watch Gurriel play. Regardless of what happens this season, he is surely going to be part of the long term lineup for this team. Joining the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. The addition of Gurriel makes for one scary infield, both offensively and defensively.

Next: Blue Jays: Tyler Clippard’s Crazy Amount of Relief Wins