Ray Flowers and Vlad Sedler take counter positions on a single player, one for, one against. Which one of our experts do you agree with? Does either strike a knockout blow? Is there a TKO? Is there a need for another round? Two or our best analysts give their thoughts on a player for the upcoming season allowing you to be the judge as to which side makes the stronger argument, for or against the player. If you want to discuss this, or anything else further, spend some time in our Live Chat where we do our best to answer any questions that you might have
Willians Astudillo
By Vlad Sedler
Sometimes, there’s a man. Well, he’s the man for his time and place. Hate to quote Lebowski here for a guy without an official major league roster spot, but there is just something innately special about Astudillo. It’s not just his big personality on the field, or his wild hair or his positional versatility (he played six positions in his 29 major league games last year including appearing as a pitcher). It’s the fact that someone of Astudillo’s talent belongs in this Twins lineup. He is the perfect blend of versatility, power, patience and pizzazz. In nearly 2,500 minor league plate appearances, Astudillo has an astounding three percent strikeout rate. A number so staggering and shocking and it’s one that will be interesting to track this season. For reference, only three qualified hitters last season (at least 500 PA) posted a single-digit strikeout rate (Andrelton Simmons – 7.3, Michael Brantley – 9.5, Victor Martinez – 9.6). Even if Astudillo was to triple his career minor league rate, he’d still rank among those top guys who did it last year. Hell, even at 5x (15 percent), it’s still pretty damn good. Right now, the concern for drafters is playing time. But with Miguel Sano out at least until May, a window of opportunity for an Opening Day roster spot may have opened for Astudillo. Marwin Gonzalez will likely log the majority of April at-bats from the hot corner, but Astudillo should fill in there, as well as all over the field, as a super utility man. Most importantly, Astudillo is primarily catcher-eligible in all formats. It’s a much-maligned position that we could use any boost we can get with. Cream always rises to the top, and for someone of Astudillo’s ilk, there is plenty of opportunity for him to log 400-plus positive plate appearances that help us out at a very tough position. He’ll also be incredibly fun to root for on your fantasy team.
By Ray Flowers
Vlad is right, the injury to Sano could open up some playing time for Astudillo. However, I can’t agree with the part about 400+ plate appearances. I don’t dispute the skills part of the equation here, so let me be clear about that. Astudillo makes contact and never strikes out, at absurd levels as Vlad noted, that would seem to leave his floor in the batting average category well above the league’s mark, and potentially significantly higher than what sloppy second catcher you will likely be running out there. Even if he’s a .275 hitter with moderate power, this is really an ideal skill set to target as a second catcher in mixed leagues. However, I just can’t shake the playing time component with the flashy haired one. Back to those plate appearances. It sure seems like Jason Castro and Mitch Garver are ahead of Astudillo in the Twins’ pecking order in the backstop department. So, where does Astudillo fit in? Even if he makes the team as a super sub, when Sano returns to the lineup Marwin Gonzalez will slide back into that role, rendering Willians as the second ranked super sub on the Twins. In the NL that has more value than in the AL with the stagnant lineups because of the DH. You never know how a season is going to play out, trades/injuries/performance can wildly shift expectations, but given the legit concerns with Astudillo’s playing time, I’m more than comfortable listing him as a lower end second catcher at the moment, fully admitting that he’s an intriguing second catching option. I’m just not in at the current ADP levels, though it’s also fair to suggest that even if I’m only half right, Astudillo might still end up returning value.
