I've been somewhere between intrigued and fascinated with Willians Astudillo ever since the Twins called him up last year and I realized he barely ever walks or strikes out.
As in: 3,238 minor league or winter league plate appearances, with only 115 walks and 99 strikeouts.
And: 97 plate appearances with the Twins last season, and only two walks and three strikeouts (plus a hefty .355 batting average and .516 slugging percentage).
I desperately want the Twins to find a way to have him on the 25-man roster at the start of 2019, because he's a great character and a productive hitter.
If his one-man, pace-of-play initiative and exhausting sprints around the bases aren't enough, a recent highlight from Venezuelan Winter Ball should do the trick.
Astudillo's long look and celebration of a home run — first seen Tuesday night on Parker Hageman's Twitter feed — were glorious.
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.
