Willians Astudillo Is A Savvy Mofo

This is a player that DID HE GET A CHANCE WITAH THE TWINS. Is he a better backup than, say, FIeld or Grossman, or even Wilson? You can have him as the third catcher. Actually, I would like to see him right now in place of Morrison. But chances are he will NOT get a September callup for some unheard of reason and drfit away to another organization.

I wondered about the legality of the play since the pitcher did step on the mound without the ball just before the tag, which I thought would be a balk.

 

However, Astudillo got the ball while play was still live, no timeouts called after the runner advanced to third. Luckily Chase De Jong had the wits to wander behind the mound for a bit as Astudillo strolled back to third. De Jong did not deliver the ball to Astudillo, so I guess as long as he didn't actually touch the pitching rubber there's no balk.

 

Willans Astudillo should be playing for larger crowds than in Rochester. The guy is pure baseball entertainment. He's a Rosario type, even if he's not an impressive physical specimen. Utility infielder/outfielder, plus backup catcher. Pinch hitter that always gets bat on ball. That's getting on towards pretty handy.

Edited August 9, 2018 by jimbo92107

Not really sure why Astudillo wasn't given more of a shot.  He certainly proved his versatility when he had his brief cup of coffee with the Twins earlier.  I get it, he wasn't a good pitcher but why not give him more than 19 PAs to see what a guy like that can do.  

 

Not really sure why Astudillo wasn't given more of a shot.  He certainly proved his versatility when he had his brief cup of coffee with the Twins earlier.  I get it, he wasn't a good pitcher but why not give him more than 19 PAs to see what a guy like that can do.  

Sure he was 'given a shot.' 

 

Not at catcher, of course. But at 2B, CF, (where he'd never played before), and at 3B, where he made that one error that time, so of course he's no good.  And then, he didn't put himself in the game when somebody, anybody, should have been PH'ing for BWilson in crucial situations, or anything like that.

 

If MoY is in the dugout, does anyone from AAA actually get a real "shot?"

Bring him up!

Btw, as a sixth grader, I pulled it off at second base once in a 'midget league' game at Midvale Elementary in Madison. The kid's mother, on the sidelines, complained to the umpire bitterly.

Sure he was 'given a shot.' 

 

Not at catcher, of course. But at 2B, CF, (where he'd never played before), and at 3B, where he made that one error that time, so of course he's no good.  And then, he didn't put himself in the game when somebody, anybody, should have been PH'ing for BWilson in crucial situations, or anything like that.

 

If MoY is in the dugout, does anyone from AAA actually get a real "shot?"

This! One of Astudillo's "problems" is he is a baseball player, who doesn't look like a baseball player. And it would take far more imagination than MOY has for that to be seen in the Twins dugout. True MOY does not take a guy who has never played a position before, stick him there, and use that as a measure of his talent. Oh wait, I said a true MOY! I don't know how much success Astudillo would have in MLB over the long haul, but I do know he is better than some of the players currently on this roster.

 

It is amazing what baseball-reference.com will tell you if you ask it courteously.

 

Courteously? Oh, that's my problem.