Draft Prospect Series: Austin Martin

Austin Martin is a 21 year old third baseman, second baseman, and centre fielder who currently attends Vanderbilt University. Martin is currently the consensus number one pick in the draft, but could very well slip, just as many top prospects in past drafts. He has been a highly regarded prospect for years, and it should come as no surprise that he is such a significant draft candidate.

Back in 2017, Martin was actually drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 37th round of the draft, when he was fresh out of high school. Martin was always a big prospect, and likely would’ve been selected in the early round had he seemed more interested in becoming a pro player at the time. Players drafted in the late rounds are typically top prospects who seem locked in on attending university, and are only selected in case they happen to change their mind (ie. Kris Bryant with the Blue Jays in 2010). After three years, Martin is finally ready to commit to a team.

During his time with the team, Martin became well known for his athleticism and contact ability. He is a great fielder with great speed, and absolutely incredible hitting ability. Although power is not his strong suit, he still managed to hit 10 home runs in 268 at bats in 2018. His batting average is the real impressive stat however, hitting for a career .368 average and a monstrous .474 OBP over his three years in school. Before the 2019 season was cut short, Martin had a career high .507 OBP, meaning he was getting on base in over half of his at bats. There is no doubt that Martin is an elite prospect, and if he fell to Toronto, he is likely their pick. However, that’s a big if.

With Martin being the likely first overall pick, it is unlikely he falls to Toronto, but there is always a chance. Despite not being a positional need for Toronto, he might be the best player in the draft, and worth the gamble for the Jays.