BeatTheRich

Astudillo has plenty of fans on the board. It's just that the detractors have been more vocal. The way the team has been going, with too many stars failing to step up, I welcome seeing Willians in the lineup. He's like Star Trek's Scotty, giving her all she's got.

This I like. Not to jinx the young man, but I think he's going to adjust quickly. With no Kirilloff, Arraez, and now Buxton to watch, there has to be some reason to tune in. Cruz and Astudillo (yep, you read that right) can't do it by themselves.

Love how the lineup is really starting to come together. Just need Kepler to find his stroke. Sano would be icing on the cake, but maybe too much to ask. Maybe it won't matter as much anyway. I'd hate to move Kirilloff off first base. He looks comfortable there.

That is very funny. The word-play, not the injury. I was also going to make an age-related comment, but I had no idea terry was that old. I guess "1947" just must be some randomly chosen number ;-) Terry, I hope you've made as complete a recovery as possible. As someone who runs, even the idea of knee trouble sounds awful.

Josh staking his claim to Cooperstown: A whole season batting 1.000, with an OPS of 3.000. Top that, Mike Trout.

(Moved post)

Donaldson to IL, retroactive to Friday, with Rooker up. Do-Hyoung Park: https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/josh-donaldson-placed-on-injured-list

Josh is pregnant? And here I was thinking it was his hamstring.

Desperate times, desperate measures. Don't replace a big bat with a Punch and Judy hitter. Alex K just may have to do his growing up in the big leagues.

It's a conspiracy. MLB.com wants us to believe he was a major league ballplayer in 2016, but he was actually a pizza delivery guy operating out of a basement in Buckhead. Forgive the levity. I've learned more about Astudillo in the past two days than I know about my own pup. Really, I just want the guy to get some hits, spell a few guys in the field, and help the Twins win some ballgames. I think he can do this, while others disagree. We'll find out soon enough.

No jinx this year, I hope. If two of those three stay healthy, we have a shot. If two go down, it's deja vu. Great post, all of it. It could be a bumpy ride, and those batting numbers are concerning. The hitting has been woeful going back to last year, some of it tied to injuries. Along with Buxton and Donaldson missing the playoffs, Arraez and Polanco were running on bum legs. Cruz was struggling with the wrist thing. Fortunately, all of these key hitters look healthy now, and we're going to need them to sustain us until the others can figure things out. I get that spring training is for getting your work in, but you expect to see progress. Our starting pitching looks promising, I think, with good young arms waiting in the wings. I think Dobnak will team with Berrios and Maeda to give us a big three, and I still like Mike. I think the bullpen will come together as well, because in Wes I trust. Hitting and health are the keys for me. Buckle up, yes, and let's see what we have here. Fans in the stands, an April start, a Twins team with pitching: it's time to play ball.

Pls see my response to adorduan, above. MLB.com lists Astudillo's on-base percentage as .335.

Text reads "MLB Career Stats": https://www.mlb.com/player/willians-astudillo-553902 If you want to parse the numbers, you can do so. I would expect career stats to reflect actual ballgames. If not, MLB.com should clarify.

Astudillo has a career average of .318. Source is MLB.com.

$$$ -- Gotta allocate your spend wisely. And do you really want Rosario standing in the way of Kirilloff? You know Alex is coming.