Twins fans don’t need me to tell them how fun Willians Astudillo is. But for the uninitiated, Astudillo's enduring legend can effectively be summed up in these two highlights:
Astudillo’s unusual physique makes him a rare bird in MLB (he’s listed at 5’9” and a plump 225 pounds), but the charming Venezuelan is so much more than that. He’s comfortable practically anywhere on the diamond (pitcher and shortstop are the only positions he hasn’t played at the major-league level) and is also one hell of a hitter, batting .301 with just 14 strikeouts in 312 MLB at-bats since debuting in 2018. In an era where batters do little else besides swing for the fences, Astudillo’s career 91.9-percent contact rate is almost unheard of.
Astudillo can’t run a lick (hence his nickname "Tortuga," Spanish for turtle), but he’ll do whatever it takes to get on base, a trait he displayed Tuesday against the Red Sox. Watch the portly 29-year-old slide under first baseman Bobby Dalbec, who had to come off the bag to retrieve a high throw from shortstop Xander Bogaerts. The play was scored a throwing error on Bogaerts, though the crafty Astudillo deserves credit for having the foresight to slide when virtually any other player would have sprinted down the line.
Despite the cunning play of their decidedly unorthodox (albeit immensely entertaining) utility man, the Twins weren’t able to cool off the Red Sox, who extended their winning streak to seven with Tuesday’s triumph at Target Field. The Red Sox and Twins, who both make their spring training home in Fort Myers, Florida, were scheduled to play a game Monday afternoon, but that was postponed due to safety concerns following the death of Daunte Wright, who was shot and killed by a police officer in nearby Brooklyn Center the day prior. Wright’s death, occurring mere miles from where George Floyd was killed last year, sparked protests throughout the Twin Cities with Minneapolis enacting a 7 PM curfew Monday night.
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