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

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 51% of Yahoo Leagues

ANALYSIS: Yuli Gurriel is flashing the hitting skills that made him a coveted player last season, and as a result, as he has become a solid four-category contributor for fantasy baseball owners.

Gurriel’s carrying trait for fantasy leagues is his strong .297 average. His ability to hit for a high average is little surprise and should be expected to continue into the future thanks to a minuscule 12.3% strikeout rate. As also may be expected his strikeout rate, Gurriel’s power was lacking earlier this season. However, there has been improvement in that regard as the season has progressed as he hit four home runs in June and already has two in July, in contrast to just two home runs each of the first two months of the season.  Finally, Gurriel’s counting stats should remain strong thanks to his aforementioned high contact rate and the strong Astros’ offense. Despite rarely batting higher than sixth in the order, Gurriel is on pace for 80 RBI and 71 runs.

Given that, Gurriel should be considered on the waiver wire as an asset for teams in need of batting average help. The rest of his stats don’t stand out in a strongly positive way but also are not detrimental making him a well-rounded option for deeper leagues.