Astudillo is nicknamed La Tortuga -- Spanish for The Turtle -- for his 5' 9", 225-pound frameGETTY IMAGES
Twins utility player Willians Astudillo has become a "marketer's dream" since being promoted from the minors late last season, as he has become the "rare object of widespread affection" among baseball fans, according to Ben Lindbergh of THE RINGER. Astudillo, who is nicknamed La Tortuga -- Spanish for The Turtle -- for his 5' 9", 225-pound frame, has gone from "curiosity to cult hero to mainstream star." The Twins last Friday held a promo called "An Evening With La Tortuga" in which fans bought a ticket package that contained an Astudillo T-shirt giveaway. Twins Senior Dir of Brand Experience & Innovation Chris Iles indicated that the promo "surpassed expectations ... from a financial perspective." He said, "We started out with a goal of selling 2,000 tickets … and we ended upping that to 3,000 and sold out. ... It’s our bestselling theme night that we have at this point.” Lindbergh noted the Twins have "continued to promote him" throughout the season, including putting a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle "in the Champions Club behind home plate, handing out turtle masks to fans in the same section, and tweeting away" on their official account. Astudillo, who was put on the injured list over the weekend, has "gone viral several times since early last year" with clips that feature a "breath-sapping sprint from first to home in September ... [and] for pimping the heck out of a homer that won a playoff game in the Venezuelan Winter League." The Twins rank 22nd among MLB teams in Twitter followers, with "half the average reach of the other 29 club accounts." However, MLB's official account also has sent "many an Astudillo update" to its audience of more than 8 million (THERINGER.com, 4/29).
