When Astudillo's not dazzling teammates at the plate, he can often be seen goofing off in the clubhouse during card games. A 46 MPH pitch somehow made it past the plate in a Major League Baseball game . If you enjoy . He earned a video . He did not travel with the Twins on their . All it took was a single pitch. Twins utilityman and fan favorite Willians Astudillo got a pitching appearance in the Twins' game against the Angles! "Don't get his head all big," outfielder Jake Cave pleaded with media following Friday's game. Do-Hyoung . In 29 games as a rookie in Minnesota . Astudillo was the only person in Twins lineup last night with an OPS greater than 800. Demand was so high they had to print another 1,000which promptly sold out. Willians Astudillo blowing up the radar gun in his inning on the too-slow end, not the too-fast end: 51.4 59.0 46.0 pitch too slow for Statcast 72.5 pitch too slow for Statcast 46.3 Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) April 17, 2021. Said La Russa: "That's just sportsmanship . [Gleeman] Jhoan Duran has the majors' fastest average fastball at 100.2 mph and he's struck out 12.9 batters per nine innings with a 2.22 ERA. Willians Astudillo made his first career appearance as a pitcher and threw a perfect inning with a 46 MPH strike. . KANSAS CITY, Mo. Willians Astudillo. Tensions were already high after Mercedes' homer on a 3-0 pitch from Twins infielder Willians Astudillo provided the final run in Monday's 16-4 blowout. In fact, this was the slowest pitch that resulted in a home . This hidden-ball trick involved Willians Astudillo and Chase De Jong. Posted by 2 days ago. The Twins can get him the win with an 8-spot this inning. Willians Astudillo met on the mound with Jose Berrios earlier this season. In 2154 career minor-league plate appearances, Willians Astudillo has only struck out 67 times. He was lobbing 45 mile per hour pitches in and Chicago's Yermin Mercdedes to take advantage. A football play involves the whole team. While a deficit of seven runs isn't . Willians Astudillo tosses a scoreless frame . With the game out of hand Monday night, Minnesota called on catcher/third baseman Willians Astudillo to pitch in the ninth inning. This was 8 innings of random Ric Flair "WOOOO" over and over from loud, drunk fans, when nothing was happening. . Astudillo went 0-for-2 before being hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth inning . Rookie catcher Willians Astudillo spent nearly 10 years in the minor leagues, playing with four organizations, before getting a big-league shot with the Twins this season, That's Tyler Austin standing a little off of first base: De Jong had already celebrated, throwing his fist in the air. Making his second start . 8 total positions played so far in the majors In less than one season as a Twin, Astudilloprimarily a catcherhas played every position but short stop (give it time! 1X. After posting a big. He arrived as a relative unknown in 2018 - a 26-year-old minor-league journeyman called up for a late-season look after catching some eyes in Rochester. Willians Astudillo tosses a scoreless frame in his pitching appearance vs. the Red Sox Tickets. 2. On 3/26/2021 at 1:38 PM, Overlord said: How can you not root for this guy: **for him to even get 250+ at-bats he's going to have hit .300+ and maintain the power-spike we're seeing in ST. lol. Such was the case on Monday, when Willians Astudillo, AKA La Tortuga, AKA utility Big Sexy, took the mound for the Twins while trailing the White Sox 15-4 in the top of the 9th. Willians Astudillo added three hits and Minnesota . Astudillo didn't seem to like it, and he had some words for Mercedes. When I googled "Yermn Mercedes" earlier this afternoon to see whether there were any updates regarding his 3-0 swing and triumphant moonshot off a similarly constructed, similarly postionless player in Willians Astudillo on Monday night, I was met with a bunch of stories citing a bunch of tweets explaining why nobody should be upset that Mercedes homered on a 3-0 swing off a similarly . After Astudillo cleared the Green Monster to cut Boston's lead to 4-2 in the fifth inning, Sale threw three consecutive fastballs at 98 mph or harder, marking the first time he had reached that . Fortunately, it was able to find that hero in Willians Astudillo, and Astudillo repaid Baseball Internet's only slightly ironic love with uncountable web gems. It did come off a position player, Willians Astudillo, and it did come on a 46 MPH pitch, so it's not like he took Shane Bieber deep. He previously played for the professional team Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). https://www.youtube.com/mlbFollow . Nov. 24He may not have been a star during his four seasons in Minnesota, but Willians "La Tortuga" Astudillo used his big personality to endear himself inside the clubhouse and to a legion of fans, becoming a fan favorite during his Twins tenure. Willians Astudillo doesn't have an obvious spot to play, but his bat (and his catcher eligibility) are screaming for fantasy attention. On Friday night, the Twins utility fielder he's spent time at catcher, first, second and third. North Score: Twins beat reporter La Velle E. Neal III and Michael Rand take a look at the case to be made for Willians Astudillo to make the Twins' roster out of spring training. Position player Willians Astudillo was taken deep by the White Sox' Yermin Mercedes on a 3-and-0 pitch during a blowout Monday night. Max Kepler and Willians Astudillo hit consecutive homers, Eddie Rosario hit a three-run shot and Pineda's Minnesota Twins beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 on Saturday. Minnesota had utility player Willians Astudillo pitch the final half-inning of the game, and Mercedes crushed a 3-0 home run off of him. . Look, he isn't someone who should be an everyday player at any of the positions he's played at. The funniest thing is that Astudillo was the Twins' best pitcher on the evening, as he did not allow a baserunner and got out of the inning without any sort of damage, in part because the Angels. Astudillo took a ball, then turned on a pitch over the plate and lined it into the left-field seats at Admiral . Willians Astudillo is a career .382 batter. Willians Astudillo is a Venezuelan professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. catcher Willians Astudillo pitch the 9th inning. Mercedes had Minnesota's attention after he homered in the ninth inning of Chicago's 16-4 victory on Monday night, driving a 3-0 pitch from infielder Willians Astudillo deep to center. -- Rookie catcher Willians Astudillo spent nearly 10 years in the minor leagues, playing with four organizations, before getting a big-league shot with the Twins this season, just . The fan favorite was down 3-0 in the count, when he served up a . They did not travel to Toronto with the team. A football play involves the whole team. Astudillo has been training at the Twins' alternate site at CHS Field in St. Paul for more than two weeks after clearing multiple negative tests. 128.8 K views. White Sox DH Yermin Mercedes . It will surprise absolutely nobody to hear that Willians Astudillo's 47.1 mph eephus against Yermn Mercedes was the slowest pitch ever tracked by Statcast to be hit for a homer. He previously played for the professional team Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). In the bottom of the eighth inning, losing 10-3 to the Los Angeles Angels on April 16, the Minnesota Twins brought Willians Astudillo into the game to pitch. Garrett did not pitch in a . In 2016 and 2017, Willians did not get enough plate appearances to qualify for leaderboards. If the Twins for some reason decide to retaliate tonight, or if [Tony] La Russa benches Mercedes in some misbegotten stab toward outdated honor, then we . Research has shown that pitch-framing numbers stabilize much more quickly than most things, in part due to even one game spent behind the plate involving receiving more than 100 pitches. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Tony La Russa called it a "big mistake" for Yermin Mercedes swinging at the 3-0 pitch from Willians Astudillo, admitting there will be consequences. Willians Astudillo is a Venezuelan professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. Willians Astudillo was already something of a cult hero before he made this year's opening day roster of the Minnesota Twins. A pitch-by-pitch breakdown of Willians Astudillo giving the performance of the season on the mound, plus much more on the weekend's games. But this might be getting overlooked in the rookie's flame-throwing: Duran has issued just 4 walks in 24 1/3 innings. MLB MLB Ballpark MLB Play MiLB First Pitch MLB Home Run Derby MLB FAQs MLB Ballpark FAQs MLB Play FAQs. The Twins expected 2,000 fans to take up the offer of a Tortuga T-shirt and a ticket to see the Orioles. Willians Astudillo is a Spanish speaker from Barcelona, Venezuela, but with his "Fun is Good" attitude toward baseball he could be a great nephew to Bill Veeck Jr. from Chicago. After all, the 30-year-old Astudillo was a fan favorite and played every position for the Twins during his four seasons with the franchise except shortstop. He is a utility player who can play in every position in between the game.. Interestingly, Willians has played baseball in different positions except for the short spot. Sometimes we get Christian Bethancourt, whose mid-90 fastballs were so impressive the Padres briefly converted him to being a full-time pitcher. Chicago White Sox designated hitter Yermn Mercedes' home run in the ninth inning Monday on a 47 mph, 3-0 pitch against Minnesota Twins utility player Willians Astudillo touched off a debate . Such was the case on Monday, when Willians Astudillo, AKA La Tortuga, AKA utility Big Sexy, took the mound for the Twins while trailing the White Sox 15-4 in the top of the 9th. . So BreakingT made an . In Friday's loss to the Los Angeles Angels, Astudillo made his second big-leagues pitching appearance, pitching a one-two-three eighth inning to cut his ERA in half. Willians Astudillo: The Legend of La Tortuga By John Rosengren This is not just any Friday night at Target Field. You know when the big moments come in baseball. Willians Astudillo blowing up the radar gun in his inning on the too-slow end, not the too-fast end: 51.4 59.0 46.0 pitch too slow for Statcast 72.5 pitch too slow for Statcast 46.3 Do-Hyoung. Burnett to the Pirates in 2012; or reliever Jason Hammel being traded twice in his career during spring training. August 26, 2021 | 00:01:04. In 29 games as a rookie in Minnesota . This decision was not unusual in the slightest. . Willians Astudillo and Trevor May of the Minnesota Twins celebrate defeating the Detroit Tigers, 3-2. Willians Astudillo, a.k.a. Share. Astudillo's scoreless frame . Willians Astudillo. Astudillo, who was designated for assignment and then cleared release waivers, is now a free agent, ending an era filled with flying helmets and . Corresponding moves will come later. This hidden-ball trick involved Willians Astudillo and Chase De Jong. Or, put . The Twins had brought in position player Willians Astudillo to pitch, and you'll recall he did the same earlier this season and threw a 46 MPH pitch for a strike. 15-4 in the ninth inning, the Minnesota Twins waved the surrender flag by bringing in a position player, the catcher Willians Astudillo, a.k.a. [Park] The #MNTwins are going to place Max Kepler, Caleb Thielbar, Emilio Pagn and Trevor Megill on the restricted list ahead of this series against the Blue Jays. Willians Astudillo pitched and BreakingT made an awesome shirt . I think he also is known for not striking out at all. Posts about Swinging 3-0 written by Jason Turbow. Last year, it became a plus pitch and he threw it about . Nah. After Bartolo Colon couldn't find an employer in American baseball last season, Baseball Internet found itself in desperate need of a new, chunky hero. Willians Astudillo took the mound for the Minnesota Twins over the weekend - working a clean eighth inning. Twins Pass . . Are you saying the 1-1 pitch to the first batter of the top of the 10th inning we need to standing, screaming, ready for anything to happen? This is how I concluded yesterday's post about Yermin Mercedes hitting a 3-0 homer off of Willians Astudillo with two outs in the ninth inning of a game that the White Sox led by 11 runs:. . MINNEAPOLIS -- This week in Willians Astudillo web gems, the man known as "La Tortuga" homered on a pitch at eye level as part of Friday's 2-0 win over Pittsburgh, the highest offering hit out of the park by a Twins player in the Statcast era. . Astudillo's first three pitches averaged about 45 mph and a foot and a half off the strike zone. It's "An Evening with La Tortuga," aka The Turtle. (ironcityguys from urban area) Can't tell you how thankful I am that I got a Willians Astudillo question. Astudillo, who is built and moves like an All-Pro offensive tackle, threw 15 pitches. . He arrived as a relative unknown in 2018 - a 26-year-old minor-league journeyman called up for a late-season look after catching some eyes in Rochester. Acuna crushed the first pitch of the game from Cubs rookie Adbert Alzolay into the left-field bleachers for his 19th homer of the season. Chicago's best hitter took the pitch and sent it over the 411 ft. sign in center field. Willians Astudillo, who is nicknamed 'La Tortuga' and became a fan favorite with the Minnesota Twins, has a chance to land a roster spot with the Miami Marlins. The lockout delayed Astudillo from finding his next contract, but he has now found an interesting opportunity in Miami. Bally Sports rolling out the truly unfortunate pre-made graphics tonight. SD. Most of the. White Sox manager Tony La Russa said Mercedes made a mistake, and the Hall of Fame skipper apologized to the Twins. Willians Astudillo got ANOTHER pitching appearance for the Twins, and he was electric yet again!Don't forget to subscribe! . Share 0 Retweet 8 Send via email 0 Miami Marlins Transactions Willians Astudillo Only a few have, like the Yankees trading A.J. Posted by 2 days ago. ), including stints in center field and on the pitcher's mound! STH Home. The short answer is, no, they don't happen often. Date Question Answer; 2019-09-04 13:00:00 (link to chat)Does Willians Astudillo still have a chance at a ML career or did 2019 wipe out his opportunity? When news came down on Friday that the Minnesota Twins had left Willians Astudillo off their 40-man roster, it was a decision that came with plenty of questions from those who follow the Twins. Astudillo went deep against big-league pitcher Deolis Guerra, after Guerra had gotten the first two batters out. Steven Keehner, assistant opinions editor, is a junior journalism major with a minor in history. But on this day, he sounds much like that brash 17-year-old back home . (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) Minnesota Twins: Why Taylor Rogers Continues to . Watch how it all went down, including h. "La Tortuga . Fangraphs has an interesting statement attributing his 9 . April 17, 2021 10:33am Updated Willians Astudillo usually catches fastballs, he doesn't throw them. Get the latest on Miami Marlins 3B Willians Astudillo including news, stats, videos, and more on CBSSports.com . Astudillo, of course, made the whole play happen. Astudillo, of course, made the whole play happen. 1 catcher on another team gets hurt between now and Opening Day. 'Play the game right' crowd in tizzy after ninth-inning homer off Willians Astudillo It was a 47 mph pitch on a 3-and-0 count with two outs in the ninth and the Twins were already trailing 15-4.. He swung at one of those lobs, which happened to be on . Mercedes had Minnesota's attention after he homered in the ninth inning of Chicago's 16-4 victory on Monday night, driving a 3-0 pitch from infielder Willians Astudillo deep to center. 7-pitch, 1-2-3 inning for Willians Astudillo. KANSAS CITY, Mo. He is a utility player who can play in every position in between the game.. Interestingly, Willians has played baseball in different positions except for the short spot. . [Gleeman] Jhoan Duran has the majors' fastest average fastball at 100.2 mph and he's struck out 12.9 batters per nine innings with a 2.22 ERA. But this might be getting overlooked in the rookie's flame-throwing: Duran has issued just 4 walks in 24 1/3 innings. la Tortuga (or the Turtle), doesn't look like most major leaguers. A statistical look at why the eccentric catcher should be Minnesota's primary backstop. The Twins had brought in position player Willians Astudillo to pitch, and you'll recall he did the same earlier this season and threw a 46 MPH pitch for a strike. And it was time for a legendary position-player-turned-pitcher experience: Willians Astudillo. No one can deny that Willians Astudillo made a big time impression with the Twins in 2018 despite accruing . Willians Astudillo has become everyone's favorite Large Adult Son Catcher. Manny Diaz did not enjoy his postgame handshake with . But if he had, he would have recorded the lowest strikeout rates (3.2% and 3.9%, respectively) in affiliated baseball. Astudillo has been an above-average pitch framer for the Twins. The Dodgers' high WS odds; Willians Astudillo's legend; Kyle Freeland as an old school starter During Monday night's White Sox-Twins game, Mercedes hit a solo home run on a 3-0 pitch -- a 47 mph eephus -- from position player Willians Astudillo, in the ninth inning with the White Sox up 15-4. The game ended 2-1, and Game 6 of the series is tomorrow. In contrast, the A's had 6 players at that level. I'm definitely rooting for him. Sometimes we get Willians Astudillo. Reels. And he did so with two of . Astudillo, who'll turn 27 in October, is baseball's rarest beast: In an era when walks, strikeouts, and pitches per plate appearance are all on the upswing (so to speak . The Twins chose to throw their catcher, Willians Astudillo, to save a relief pitcher from added work in the final inning. -- Rookie catcher Willians Astudillo spent nearly 10 years in the minor leagues, playing with four organizations, before getting a big-league shot with the Twins this season, just . And with a rare ability to make contact, he doesn't hit like them, either. Mercedes took the count to 3-0 before seeing a 47-mph lob at the top of the strike zone. That's Tyler Austin standing a little off of first base: De Jong had already celebrated, throwing his fist in the air. The most realistic chance of the Twins dealing a catcher is if a No.