Minnesota Twins have intriguing piece in Willians Astudillo
In a move that has gone completely under the radar, the Minnesota Twins may have acquired an intriguing player in Willians Astudillo.
We have all heard of the “Three True Outcomes,” where a player will typically strike out, walk, or hit a home run in their plate appearances. It is the type of approach that was made famous by Rob Deer and Adam Dunn, and resurfaced this year with Aaron Judge. Meanwhile, if there was to be a polar opposite player, it would be Minnesota Twins farmhand Willians Astudillo.
All Astudillo does is hit. Over the course of his eight years in the minors, he has produced a solid .311/.350/.401 batting line, with 113 doubles and 17 homers. In 2154 plate appearances, Astudillo has struck out only 67 times, with 75 walks. It is rare for him to see a pitch that he does not like, or cannot put into play.
Astudillo also does not look like the type of player that would be a contact based machine. Listed at 5’9″ tall and 225 pounds, he is built like noted jollux Bartolo Colon. Of course, given how teams fudge those measurements, he could well be a couple of inches shorter and a few pounds heavier.
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Nonetheless, Astudillo is an interesting player. He began his career in the Phillies system, spending most of his time at third and behind the plate until he required Tommy John surgery. After that, his arm never returned to it’s previous form, but Astudillo continued to hit. He has spent time in the Braves and Diamondbacks systems as well, before joining Minnesota as a minor league free agent.
He has also made a mark as a utility player. Over the course of his career, Astudillo has played at every position excluding short and center. He even had an appearance on the mound last season, allowing just one hit in two innings as he earned the victory.
At 26 years old, Astudillo is a long shot to make an impact upon the Twins this season. However, he is considered a solid pitch framer, even if his arm has not returned to previous levels. Add in his ability to play virtually anywhere on the diamond and his incredible ability to put the ball in play, and he could be quite the super utility player in Minnesota. If nothing else, it would be fun to watch him on the diamond.
The Minnesota Twins may have an underrated minor league piece in Willians Astudillo. An extreme contact hitter that can play virtually anywhere, he could be a player to watch.