Yuli Gurriel (1B/3B, HOU) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: A week into the season, Yulieski Gurriel was looking completely drop-worthy in all leagues. A 3-for-24 start had some concerned that his skill set just wouldn't translate to the majors after he slashed .262/.292/.385 with three home runs and 15 RBI in 130 at-bats in his debut last season. It didn't take long for Gurriel to pick up the pace, though. In the last 18 games, Gurriel has eight multi-hit games and four games with three hits. He's now slashing a more robust .311/.347/.456 with 11 runs scored. Gurriel doesn't bring much power, so 10-15 is a reasonable expectation by year's end. Aside from average, his next best asset is the potential to score runs in the Astros' powerful lineup. Despite only two homers on the year, he has knocked seven doubles, so it's possible he increases the extra base hits if he can lower his 1.67 GB/FB rate. Gurriel hasn't established enough of a Major League track record to completely predict how he will turn out this year, but he's got a great opportunity and is starting to show signs that he can reach base consistently.