Austin Martin

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Christopher Austin Martin

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Biographical Information[edit]

Austin Martin was the 5th player selected in the 2020 amateur draft, by the Toronto Blue Jays out of Vanderbilt University. The Blue Jays were delighted to be able to take him at that spot, as he had been the only other player considered by the Detroit Tigers for the first overall pick in the draft, besides 1B Spencer Torkelson. He was described by scouts as the best pure hitter in the draft, but there was some question about what his true position was: he was listed as a shortstop by Vanderbilt, and had also played second and third base, but others projected him as an outfielder. Growing up in the Jacksonville, FL area, he had played often with and against Blue Jays player Bo Bichette, who had skipped college and was already in the majors by the time Austin was drafted.

Coming out of high school, he was drafted in the 37th round by the Cleveland Indians in 2017, but decided to continue on to college. He hit .338 as a freshman in 2018, then a scorching .392 as a sophomore and was hitting .377 when the 2020 college season ended prematurely after 16 games because of the coronavirus pandemic. He also hit 19 doubles, 4 triples and 10 homers as a sophomore, and also drew 85 walks on a team that won the 2019 College World Series (he made the All-Tournament team at third base), so he was no mere slap hitter. The Blue Jays compared him to Anthony Rendon as a hitter. He signed with the Blue Jays on July 8th for a bonus just above $7 million, the highest ever paid by the team and well above slot value, reflecting the fact he was ranked the #2 prospect in the draft.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, he was unable to begin his professional career in 2020, instead spending time at the Blue Jays' alternate training site. When the minor leagues resumed in May 2021, he was assigned straight to the AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats, where he was playing center field. In 55 games, he hit .281 with 43 runs scored and was named to play in the 2021 Futures Game at Coors Field before being part of a major trade on July 30th. That day, the Blue traded Austin and another top prospect, P Simeon Woods-Richardson, to the Minnesota Twins to acquire highly sought-after pitcher José Berríos. He finished the year with the Wichita Wind Surge of the Double-A Central, where he hit .254 in 37 games.

He had been expected to reach the majors very quickly, but stalled in the minors for the next couple of season, spending all of 2022 with Wichita, now again in the Texas League, except for a two-game rehabilitation stint with the FCL Twins. In Wichita, he hit .241/.367/.316 in 90 games. In 2023, injuries again marred his season, as he made rehab stints with the Fort Myers Miracle and the FCL Twins again, in addition to his main body of work - 59 games with the AAA St. Paul Saints, where he only played his first game on July 3rd. His slash line there was .263/.387/.405 as the rest of his game started to catch up with his always excellent OBP. In those two years, he played both the infield and the outfield, as the Twins did not want to assign him to a fixed position.

He initially did not make the Twins' roster coming out of spring training in 2024, but plans changed quickly when Royce Lewis was injured - again - in the first game of the season. He made his major league debut on March 30th, pinch-running for Matt Wallner in the 7th inning of a 5-1 win over the Kansas City Royals, then played left field for one inning before being in turn replaced by pinch-hitter Manuel Margot in the 8th.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Rob Longley: "In Austin Martin, Blue Jays get a potential first round MLB draft steal", Toronto Sun, June 11, 2020. [1]
  • Keegan Matheson: "Blue Jays 'ecstatic' to land Martin with No. 5 pick: Vanderbilt shortstop was projected by many to go in top two", mlb.com, June 11, 2020. [2]

Related Sites[edit]

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