WSJ: "La Tortuga" is here to save baseball

[Seth Stohs]

The Wall Street Journal of all places is on the Willians Astudillo bandwagon...

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/la-tortuga-is-here-to-save-baseball-11551877201?mod=hp_lead_pos9

 

It is a subscription site, and I don't have a subscription, so if anyone has any more that would be interesting.

 

 

The Twins’ Willians Astudillo, nicknamed ‘The Turtle,’ has emerged as a fan favorite—with his everyman looks and carefree attitude

 

[ashbury]

"Fair use" excerpts, please.

[Otto von Ballpark]

FWIW, the Wall Street Journal lets subscribers share full articles on Facebook, and all it does is prepend "http://facebook.com/l.php?u=" in front of the WSJ URL. So the Facebook shared version of this one is as follows:

 

http://facebook.com/l.php?u=https://www.wsj.com/articles/la-tortuga-is-here-to-save-baseball-11551877201

 

Caveat that Mark Zuckerberg may think you're interested in turtles now.

[sweetmusicviola16]

All Astudillo has done wherever he has been is hit. He gives hope to the common man.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

FWIW, the Wall Street Journal lets subscribers share full articles on Facebook, and all it does is prepend "http://facebook.com/l.php?u=" in front of the WSJ URL. So the Facebook shared version of this one is as follows:

 

http://facebook.com/l.php?u=https://www.wsj.com/articles/la-tortuga-is-here-to-save-baseball-11551877201

 

Caveat that Mark Zuckerberg may think you're interested in turtles now.

I'm all for confusing Mr. Zuckerberg.

[Craig Arko]

Huh. Different Jared Diamond than the one I'm familiar with.

[Vanimal46]

Caveat that Mark Zuckerberg may think you're interested in turtles now.

Never forget this brilliant kid...

[Oldgoat_MN]

 

Huh. Different Jared Diamond than the one I'm familiar with.

 

Maybe now that he's 81 years old he is focusing on more local issues...

Silliness aside, "Guns, Germs and Steel" is easily one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Thanks for pointing out the author's name.

[dbminn]

 

Huh. Different Jared Diamond than the one I'm familiar with.

 

Might be his kid? I looked up the 81 year old professor and found he has twin sons born in 1987. Young reporter Jared has a comment posted on his Twitter feed by Justin Diamond, who looks to be the same age. Total speculation. 

[Doctor Wu]

 

The Wall Street Journal of all places is on the Willians Astudillo bandwagon...

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/la-tortuga-is-here-to-save-baseball-11551877201?mod=hp_lead_pos9

 

It is a subscription site, and I don't have a subscription, so if anyone has any more that would be interesting.

The blurb notes that Astudillo "has emerged as a fan favorite—with his everyman looks and carefree attitude". I'm not so sure I'd call his enthusiasm and zest for playing "carefree". That mplies some sort of Machado-like indifference to hustling. But what really caught my eye was the part about his "everyman looks." Huh? I don't know of a single person on earth who looks like that!

[wabene]

Huh. Different Jared Diamond than the one I'm familiar with.

The Turtle has no need for guns, steel or biological warfare he just brings the wood

[wabene]

Maybe now that he's 81 years old he is focusing on more local issues...

Silliness aside, "Guns, Germs and Steel" is easily one of the most interesting books I have ever read. Thanks for pointing out the author's name.

If you like that book I highly recommend 1491 by Charles Mann. A real eye opener, very interesting.

[RatherBeGolfing]

 

All Astudillo has done wherever he has been is hit. He gives hope to the common man.

 

Speaking of the Common Man, the title of Willians Astudillo being here to save baseball is a perfect submission for next year's PST

[Eris]

The article suggests Astudillo is the answer to baseball's pace of play issues--because he doesn't walk and doesn't strike out.  I learned that on average during an MLB game, a ball is put in play once every 4 minutes.

 

Also John Bonnes was quoted in the article.

 

[Seth Stohs]

Here is the article without the pay wall:

 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/la-tortuga-is-here-to-save-baseball/ar-BBUrhvk?ocid=ientp

 

And here is Bonnes's quote:

 

 

“He’s the overly short, maybe a little-too-wide guy that you want to cheer for,” said John Bonnes, a founder of the website Twins Daily and host of a Twins fan podcast. “It’s easier to relate to guys who don’t spend every minute they have in the gym, who occasionally order some mac and cheese.”

 

[Danchat]

This article took up the entire sports section of today’s WSJ with a big picture of Astudillo running his butt off. That made my day.

[Doomtints]

This article might be what tips the scales in his favor to start the season with the team.

 

I'm happy the writer wrote about how the skepticism is based on what he looks like and not at all about his performance. I wonder when the Twins will admit that, if ever.

[cardsfan]

It say Astudillo is wearing the microphone today according to the StarTribune

[Riverbrian]

Astudillo has become a poster boy for me of how the people who control the fate of baseball players are not perfect and they get things wrong from time to time. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of disposable baseball players but a huge deal for each individual baseball player who isn't allowed a chance to win a job with his own hands and ultimately a huge deal for any club stuck in a lengthy rebuild. 

 

I absolutely believe that there are players who are selling cars instead of enjoying a baseball career because some front office guy stood in his way and said he won't make it with all the hubris he could muster. 

 

Kennys Vargas was another and I'm still bothered by Kennys Vargas. 

 

It should not haven taken as long as it did to discover Astudillo. We were not the Boston Red Sox last year. We had injuries, suspensions and severe under performance all over the diamond. 

 

Astudillo was called up June 29... He plays in 4 straight games... goes 5 for 14 and then he was placed firmly on the bench... collecting 5 at bats over the next 16 days before being shipped back to Rochester.

 

Meanwhile... Bobby Wilson goes 5 for 31 over the time period that Astudillo is rooted to the bench as Wilson's batting average sits at a robust .114 on July 5th. As simple fans outside of the room... we assume that obviously... Astudillo can't catch... but when he comes back up August 24th... this time as a catcher... it turns out that he can catch and he goes on to hit .355 over 93 AB's. 

 

I realize that Astudillo is a small sample size and I hear Twinsdaily posters comparing his September to the Parmelee September as a cautionary tale... And I agree... we don't know if Astudillo is the real deal or not... However... would you have felt more comfortable with Astudillo if he recieved maybe 100 more AB's... 100 more AB's that were not given to him while he sat on the bench. Who knows what he can do... but the only way to find out is to get out of his way and let him control his fate. I can no longer tolerate any hubris that gives Morrison all the AB's he wants and prevents Astudillo from getting AB's. LET THE PLAYERS DECIDE... get out of their way... Let the performing guy continue to perform and let the non-performing guy watch the performing guy. It's incredibly simple and it'll make those razor thin margins survivable. 

 

Kennys Vargas... same thing... He is called up in July 2016... Goes on a month long hot streak where he has an OPS over 1.000 while the Twins are dead and gone. And as soon as the players (who caused the disaster of a season) return from the D.L... Vargas is benched and eventually back to Rochester. 

 

I'm not saying that Vargas was going to make it... I believe he blew future opportunities that he was granted... but... If you want to prevent a player from becoming a major league player... Do exactly what the Twins did in August 2016... Bench him when he is hot. 

 

If you are Boston and have a full team of players producing.... I can see a player getting squeezed into nothingness... But not the 2018 or 2016 Twins... We had opportunity coming out of our ears.

 

Dear Front Office... You are not perfect... Neither Am I. You will have my confidence when you admit this and simply let the players decide.  

 

 

[cardsfan]

Did anyone see him miked up on espn as the Twins are winning 12-1 in the 8th inning.

[NumberThree]

Did anyone see him miked up on espn as the Twins are winning 12-1 in the 8th inning.

Yes. Dude has a great sense of humor!

Willians Astudillo is the best. pic.twitter.com/1ScmqwSmgM— MLB (@MLB) March 7, 2019

[Doomtints]

 

Astudillo has become a poster boy for me of how the people who control the fate of baseball players are not perfect and they get things wrong from time to time. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of disposable baseball players but a huge deal for each individual baseball player who isn't allowed a chance to win a job with his own hands and ultimately a huge deal for any club stuck in a lengthy rebuild.

 

It says to me what I always suspected: what a player looks like and the "gut feelings" of management will trump metrics -- "advanced" metrics or not -- every single day of the frigging week.

 

I agree with your post 100%.

[Doomtints]

Falvey said Astudillo “breaks the mold when it comes to projection systems, because there aren’t people who look like him in terms of the profile.”

 

I would think any "projection system" the Twins rigged up likely projects one simple thing: Will the player get worse, get better, or stay the same?

 

I find it hard to believe that any "projection system" they are using can't answer this question when they pump in Astudillo's decade of data. Now, the Twins might not like the result of that projection -- which I think we can agree is true -- but that's not the same thing.

[Riverbrian]

 

It says to me what I always suspected: what a player looks like and the "gut feelings" of management will trump metrics -- "advanced" metrics or not -- every single day of the frigging week.

 

I agree with your post 100%.

 

Have you ever worked for that boss that is basically a speed bump to your career advancement. 

 

They are all over the place and I imagine they are in baseball as well. 

 

One guy... one opinion... Right opinion or wrong opinion... That one guy can kill a career with his assessments. 

[Platoon]

[quote name="Riverbrian" post="825004" timestamp="

 Astudillo was called up June 29... He plays in 4 straight games... goes 5 for 14 and then he was placed firmly on the bench... collecting 5 at bats over the next 16 days before being shipped back to Rochester.

 

Meanwhile... Bobby Wilson goes 5 for 31 over the time period that Astudillo is rooted to the bench as Wilson's batting average sits at a robust .114 on July 5th. As simple fans outside of the room... we assume that obviously... Astudillo can't catch... but when he comes back up August 24th... this time as a catcher... it turns out that he can catch and he goes on to hit .355 over 93 AB's. 

 

 

Kennys Vargas... same thing... He is called up in July 2016... Goes on a month long hot streak where he has an OPS over 1.000 while the Twins are dead and gone. And as soon as the players (who caused the disaster of a season) return from the D.L... Vargas is benched and eventually back to Rochester. 

I have absolutely no idea how Rocco will run this team, nor how much influence he has on rosters. I will assume he has less than Molitor did. Molitor was often quoted using "I" decided to send so and so down. Like he was making the decisions? Delusions of grandeur? Or did he have an unusual amount of leverage in those decisions. That and the fact that his doghouse seemed large and occupancy of it was not a short term lease make me yet again happy he is collecting JP cash at home. Besides the fact that fans are puzzled by some of these type moves, another issue is that players see through unfairness and coaches pets faster than anyone. If you want to lose your clubhouse, that's a sure way to get started!

[jimbo92107]

If baseball insists on favoring big, muscular guys over all other body styles, we would miss Babe Ruth, Bartolo Colon, Yogi Berra, Sal Bando, Randy Johnson, and other highly entertaining players. I'm not saying we should put Willians Astudillo in that class, but we have all seen him play, and he's a legitimate pro baseball player. He should be a utility fielder, backup catcher, pinch hitter and sometimes a DH. If somebody is hurt or in a batting slump, I would not hesitate to use Astudillo.