Astros AM: Yulieski Gurriel, the Difference Maker

Looking back, the Houston Astros are quite fortunate to sign a certain Cuban slugger this summer.

Once upon a time, the Houston Astros had a healthy roster. And then they didn’t. The end.

In the meantime though, the team’s front office made a risky, yet interesting amateur free agent signing from Cuba. The slugger in question is Yulieski Gurriel.

Since his signing Gurriel has provided a beam of hope for an Astros team that stayed relatively quiet at the trade deadline. Part of that was attributed to the high asking price for any decent player on the trade market.

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The other was the lack of return from last summer’s two notable trades. So signing an unproven bat on the major league level while not giving away prospects was a wise move and one that lessened the risk.

The hope was for Gurriel to step into the lineup late in the season and provide insurance for an offense that is sometimes streaky.

Of course, the season-ending injury of Luis Valbuena added pressure for the Astros notable deadline acquisition to produce sooner rather than later.

And though he started his career off slowly, the Cuban star has been exactly what the Astros needed.

2016 statistics as of 9/20: 25 games, 3 HR, 13 RBI, .307/.326/.466, 116 OPS+, 3 BB, 11 SO

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This kind of production while not great is what the doctor ordered. Solid, timely hitting that is a positive contribution to the club.

Sure, Gurriel probably won’t hit for a ton of power. However, he does have pop and 15-20 home runs a season isn’t outlandish.

Just imagine the overall health of the offense once you have Gurriel up to full speed with a more healthy offense.

Losing Alex Bregman for an extended amount of time was especially disappointing. Once healthy, the versatility of the Astros offense could be one of the best in 2017.

Next: Astros AM: The Latest on the Injury Front

All in all, Gurriel has been a difference maker in this lineup. And he the capability of being a bigger one as he continues to adjust to the majors. The upcoming 2017 season is shaping to be a lot of fun.

**Statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference**