Miguel Sano won a Dominican Winter League championship this
offseason. He also showed up to Spring Training in a much more trimmed down
fashion. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he suffered an unfortunate
cut on his heel and has now dealt with healing complications that will shelve
him until May. Prior to this development, I wasn’t sure that everyone’s
favorite folk hero Willians Astudillo was going to make the 25-man roster. Now
it’s all but guaranteed, and the rubber begins to hit the road.
Going into 2019 Rocco Baldelli will almost certainly employ
Marwin Gonzalez as his starting third basemen. Gonzalez was acquired as a free
agent after having served in a super utility role for the Houston Astros. He
had a down 2018 but has previously put up gaudy offensive numbers. His most
vital contribution is that he can spell players all over the diamond and should
end up playing no less than five different positions for Minnesota in 2019.
What that also means is he’ll need a break at the hot corner.
Enter La Tortuga.
Astudillo has set Twins Territory ablaze with her persona
and ability since emerging on the scene. He joined the Twins organization, his
fourth professionally, in 2018. At Triple-A Rochester he posted a .782 OPS that
is just a tick above his .754 minors mark/ His calling card has been the way he
attacked pitches, and his bat to ball abilities. In over 2,400 minor league
plate appearances Willians has struck out just 81 times, drawing 85 walks. In
fact, his 65 HBP almost surpass that paltry strikeout total. To put it mildly,
it’s insane.
If you wanted to throw water on this fire, September’s
production for Astudillo wasn’t going to help you. Although MLB rosters expand
and the competition may decrease a bit, Willians made his MLB debut and posted
an .887 OPS across 97 plate appearances for the Twins. He struck out just three
times, walking twice, and notching eight extra-base hits (three homers). His
swinging strike rate was just 4.7% and the 91.7% contact rating was
exceptional. Across 458 hitters with at least 90 plate appearances last season,
Astudillo’s swinging strike rate was 10th best, and his contact rate
stood alone at the top.
Projected for 385 plate appearances in 2019, ZiPS has
Astudillo coming in with a .280/.307/.459 slash line. It’s hard to know how
much run the Venezuelan will get off the bench with other utility options on
the roster, but there’s going to be opportunity. What’s certain is that
Astudillo has made believers of many throughout Twins Territory, and it appears
he has the respect and admiration of his peers within the clubhouse as well.
Oftentimes we aren’t given the answer as to whether a
September promotion is substantiated from a fringe player. In this scenario, we’re
going to find out just how real the production was, and for Minnesota’s sake,
how much a man nicknamed “The Turtle” can be a difference maker in the early
going.
