Willians Astudillo Might Be Here to Stay

The intangibles: the heart, the soul, the smile, the heft, the Turtle!  He's our mascot.

Huge fan of La Tortuga. He can flat out hit and is a much needed spark plug for this team which will matter over a 162 game slog.

That being said.... the big determinant will be his ability/willingness to take walks.

Once the pitchers start giving him garbage to hit (and they will), he will need to prove he is willing to lay off and take the boring walk.

He is good but obviously not Kirby Puckett.... he cannot be an elite 'bad ball hitter'. 

I agree with D.C. Twins, La Torga need to learn how to lay off the garbage pitches. He is a great depth player! I'd like to see him pinch hit more than start at 3rd base!

I concur with DC Twins.  If his eye at the plate improves he is a major league baseball player and IMO possibly a starter if the bat continues to play. 

HIs flexibility to play catcher is a huge bonus and his energy and ability to give 100% at all times is contagious.  If the turtle can hunt pitches to hit he will always have a spot on the roster.  As noted he has a very, very small sample size so will have to wait and see,

Definitely like him on this team.

With guys like El Cherubo I sometimes wonder 'what if.' What if he really got himself into physical shape? What if he showed up one spring looking like an NFL running back, or even a reasonable facsimile thereof? He might find himself driving baseballs another twenty feet. He might find himself fast enough to steal some bases, fast enough to stretch more bases from hits. Fast and flexible enough to bare-hand that grounder and gun out the runner headed for first. 

How good could Willians Astudillo really be? Sometimes I wonder. 

The guy cant flat out hit! Pitchers throw him hittable strikes either by him laying off ball or on there own he will be very good! 

His problem in the passed has always been him getting himself out, hitting balls he cant do any damage on.  

Where are all the people who said who said he doesnt have a place on this team?  Has had to be used 3 of the 5 games thus far and has been great in all 3.  Also was a factor in the Milkwaukee series allowing Rocco to use Jeffers as a pinch hitter.

I agree that the flexibility that Armadillo, er, um - Astudillo provides as a 26th man is a valuable commodity - especially when he provides some solid at bats.

Many were down on Puckett when he 1st came up. They didn't like his high leg kick, being short and stocky etc. But he proved them all wrong and went to the HOF. I never take so called pundits serious. Astudillo has heart and a great contact hitter with power. He has a lot of determination to hit , which he swings at everything. Pitchers have capitalized on that. Last year because he contracted covid he never got prepared for 2020 or had the chance to work on his discipline. He was thrown into action cold which gave his critics plenty to criticize him on.

This year he's ready and has shown plate discipline. It's something he needs to work on continueously because that's not who he is. He covers the positions he plays adequately. I won't say he's the next Puckett be he is a valuable asset

The dude is fun to watch!

Many were down on Puckett when he 1st came up. They didn't like his high leg kick, being short and stocky etc. But he proved them all wrong and went to the HOF. I never take so called pundits serious. Astudillo has heart and a great contact hitter with power. He has a lot of determination to hit , which he swings at everything. Pitchers have capitalized on that. Last year because he contracted covid he never got prepared for 2020 or had the chance to work on his discipline. He was thrown into action cold which gave his critics plenty to criticize him on.
This year he's ready and has shown plate discipline. It's something he needs to work on continueously because that's not who he is. He covers the positions he plays adequately. I won't say he's the next Puckett be he is a valuable asset

Puckett was also the third overall pick and was always a highly touted prospect who everyone knew would play in the show, at least because of his premium defense at a premium defensive position. Not so for Astudillo, who is almost 30, isn't even average defensively at any position and is almost exactly a league average hitter. OPS+ is 104. That's good for a utility guy, but don't compare him to a hall of famer. 

I have to admit, I was ready to give up on WA. But, off to a good start hitting and has looked good defensively. Hope it continues.

Having someone around like Astudillo, who can competently fill in the gaps, is certainly valuable.  Even if he is only slightly above replacement level, that would be good enough for the role he is currently playing (third catcher/second utility player/Josh Donaldson insurance plan). 

For the last man on a roster, he is a valuable asset. As a spark plug, motivator, and fan favorite he is invaluable. If the dude hits, he deserves it. Tortuga! Tortuga!! Tortuga!!!

Astudillo's ability to put the ball in play also makes him an ideal pinch hitter with runners on base.

Runner on second, no outs, tie game? How often will that happen with MLB's extra innings rule?

Enter La Tortuga. Contact, even weak contact, moves the runner from second to third.

Yes, Astudillo doesn't draw walks, but in this situation, moving the lead runner with contact is more important than drawing a walk and setting up a potential double play.

Utilizing Astudillo's high-contact bat is likely the better tactic in a pinch.

Astudillo's ability to put the ball in play also makes him an ideal pinch hitter with runners on base.

Runner on second, no outs, tie game? How often will that happen with MLB's extra innings rule?

Enter La Tortuga. Contact, even weak contact, moves the runner from second to third.

Yes, Astudillo doesn't draw walks, but in this situation, moving the lead runner with contact is more important than drawing a walk and setting up a potential double play.

Utilizing Astudillo's high-contact bat is likely the better tactic in a pinch.

He is also, reportedly, a king of the clubhouse.    Keeping everyone happy (even if not as happy as he is!) is a real value, and all reports are that he excels in that area.    Chemistry, stress reduction, social lubrication, comic relief.   I don't care what you call it, he's the kind of guy you want on your side.

The Turtle is a figure out of Grimm. Out of THE WILD BUNCH. He is the one player on this team that's consistently paradoxical and amusing. He is a secret weapon, non-Darwinian, he has mythic Yogi Berra-like qualities, the *dummling who everyone laughs at for being a primitive, but has an aura of luck about him that's endearingingly absurd.

I just love him so much. He makes baseball fun again. 3,2,1...

Contact!

I think he gets criticized too much for his fielding. It’s understood that he is not a gold glover. But to be competent at multiple different positions is really valuable especially catcher. While you don’t want hold to fill in long term as an in game sub he is pretty valuable.

With guys like El Cherubo I sometimes wonder 'what if.' What if he really got himself into physical shape? What if he showed up one spring looking like an NFL running back, or even a reasonable facsimile thereof? He might find himself driving baseballs another twenty feet. He might find himself fast enough to steal some bases, fast enough to stretch more bases from hits. Fast and flexible enough to bare-hand that grounder and gun out the runner headed for first. 

 

How good could Willians Astudillo really be? Sometimes I wonder. 

I have wondered this about him since he showed up on the scene. No doubt his body type presents a challenge to get in shape and stay that way. Having acknowledging the challenge, he is a professional athlete for god sake. It just amazes me when baseball players don't make an concerted effort when there are millions, tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of dollars on the line. How do you not get the dietary help and maintain a training program?

You would have to believe his defense would be improved by physical conditioning. That could be the difference between him remaining on a major league roster or being a AAAA player. I was really hoping this would be the year we saw the version of Astudillo you described. Physical conditioning and even a modest degree of plate discipline and he would be a very good utility man.