The Diamondbacks Were Wise to Bring Back Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is off to a strong start in the first year of his new contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Back in November, when Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen was laying out his shopping list for the offseason, he was clear his team would need to find a replacement for new free agent Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
After all, in 2023, Gurriel had been an All-Star, 2.0-fWAR player for the Snakes, contributing 24 home runs and earning a wRC+ of 106. “Oh Lourdes!” became a familiar refrain on D-backs social media. It was the timing of those hits that mattered.
He was equally effective on defense with 14 Defensive Runs Saved, the most of his career. In addition, he had no errors in 778.0 outfield innings.
Plus, there was the fun factor. Gurriel, with his purple hair and ready smile, was a key part of a team that prided itself on its clubhouse culture.
(He added some green highlights this year to “change up” his signature look. Piña Power, indeed.)
When the D-backs announced they were bringing back Gurriel (three years for $42 million with a club option for a fourth year), it seemed like the only possible outcome.
“He was a natural fit,” Hazen told Jack Sommers of Inside the Diamondbacks. “[S]econdarily, I think what he added to our clubhouse last year, what he does for our players, his makeup, his work ethic, those are major factors in bringing him back.”
As Jake Oliver wrote in March, Gurriel knew returning to Arizona was important. “For me, it was really important to return, very happy to return and be here after what we did last year.”
He got off to a smoking-good start:
In fact, he would go on to be the NL Player of the Week during the first week of MLB play. In his first four games, a series against the Colorado Rockies, Gurriel went 8-for-17, hitting two doubles and three home runs. He became the first D-back in organizational history to hit three home runs in the first three games of an MLB season. He struck out only three times over 19 PA.
Since then, things have evened out a bit. Gurriel is currently slashing .297/.348/.531 with a wRC+ of 136. He leads Arizona’s position players in fWAR (0.7). This is, clearly, still small-sample-size territory (69 PA), but Gurriel is picking up where he left off in 2023.
Despite their record-setting $175 million payroll, the D-backs, now 8-8, are still working to get all the pieces in place. They were swept in Atlanta earlier this month but have won their past two series against Colorado and the St. Louis Cardinals.
That said, this is a team that has styled itself “The Answer Backs.” Having Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on the roster enhances their ability to do just that.
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Renee Dechert writes about baseball -- mostly the Colorado Rockies. Find her writing on Just Baseball, Purple Row, and Pitcher List.