Breaking: Twins Promote Top Prospect Austin Martin To Minnesota

[Ted Schwerzler]

When the Minnesota Twins took the field on Opening Day, it was with a full complement of position players. That didn’t last long after Royce Lewis suffered a quad injury, and it opens the door for Austin Martin to make his major league debut.

Image courtesy of © Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Royce Lewis started his first Opening Day in a fashion that only he can. Stepping in for his first at bat against Cole Ragans, Lewis launched a solo home run over the wall to put Minnesota on the board first. Unfortunately the good vibes didn’t last long as he came up limping following an RBI double by Carlos Correa.

It was determined that he had injured his quad, and after limping towards the dugout, it was apparent that a stint on the injured list would be necessary. Brooks Lee remains down in Fort Myers dealing with a back issue, and Jose Miranda is not currently healthy enough to play third base. That paves a path for Austin Martin to make his debut, and the former prize of the Jose Berrios package gets to put on the Twins uniform in a major league game for the first time.

When the Minnesota front office opted against extending Berrios, they made him among the most coveted starters on the trade market. Toronto wound up being interested, and Derek Falvey was able to land not only Martin, but Simeon Woods Richardson as well. While both have developed at different rates, the return was seen as exceptional.

Martin was the fifth overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft out of Vanderbilt. He brought a high batting average with great contact skills and significant speed. As a college athlete he spent a significant amount of time on the dirt, specifically at the hot corner. Since reaching pro ball, Martin has moved off of shortstop, and has exclusively played second base or the outfield.

As an infield defender, the glove is shaky. Martin moved to the right side of the diamond after it was clear limitations were going to make shortstop a stretch. He has been better at second base, but still would not grade out as a plus defender at the position. In the outfield is where he shines, and his instincts in centerfield are really impressive.

At the plate it has been something of a slow burn for Martin. He posted just a .685 OPS during his first full year in the Twins system. Playing 90 games at Double-A Wichita during 2022, he showed an ability to command the strike zone, but the balls in play often left something to be desired. Last year he got a slow start as he dealt with an arm injury that begged the question as to whether Tommy John surgery would be necessary. Eventually he worked his way to Triple-A St. Paul and posted a .791 OPS across 59 games. During his final 40 games last year, Martin posted an .885 OPS with an even K/BB and 13 stolen bases with five home runs.

There was some question as to whether Martin may be worthy of a September or Postseason roster inclusion as a speed guy last year, but ultimately that didn’t come to fruition. He will now be tasked with taking the roster spot vacated by Lewis, but shouldn’t be expected to fill the same role. Third base will likely be manned primarily by Kyle Farmer and Willi Castro. Martin can rotate at second base with Edouard Julien, and he can spell guys in the outfield along with Manuel Margot. His addition to the roster brings Rocco Baldelli another utility type, and the way lineups are constructed will get even more creative.

At the dish the expectation should be more average and on-base ability than anything else. He isn’t much of a power guy, and that includes gap power for doubles. He can certainly steal bases if Minnesota wants him to, and while the former top 100 prospect luster has worn off, there’s no reason he can’t be a guy that helps out a major league roster.

Martin got a taste of the big leagues this spring with 24 at bats during Grapefruit League action. Now, when he gets into a game for Minnesota, he will be making his major league debut just after turning 25 years old. April is probably sooner than anyone expected to see Martin, and the circumstances for his promotion aren’t great, but it’s a rookie that can provide some valuable skills to the big league roster.

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[jorgenswest]

Martin has very similar hitting numbers to Gilberto Celestino with more speed and defensive flexibility. Hopefully he can combine that with the BABIP luck Celestino had early on to make a difference while Lewis is out.

[Guest]

Martin isn't Lewis (that strikes a chord), but his plate discipline and speed have great offensive value.  Let's roll. 

[DJL44]

The expected choice, no surprise.

Against RHP I think I'd rather see him play LF with Wallner at DH and Kirilloff at 1B than see Wallner in LF, Kirilloff at DH and Santana at 1B. The defensive upgrade is about the same but I'd rather give playing time to the rookie and see what he can do.

[Hrbeks Divot]

Looking for Rocco to put a little trust in Martin and give him some significant AB’s to see what he has. I’d like to see him platooning at second and left and hitting in the nine hole to turn the lineup over.

[CRF]

Was kind of hoping that Royce wasn't going to go IL, but it's not a surprise. A short stint, heal up, and get back to raking in a couple weeks. Meanwhile, the other guys have to pick up the slack. Good luck to Martin. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

16 minutes ago, CRF said:

Was kind of hoping that Royce wasn't going to go IL, but it's not a surprise. A short stint, heal up, and get back to raking in a couple weeks. Meanwhile, the other guys have to pick up the slack. Good luck to Martin. 

It sounds like even a minor version of Lewis's injury takes a player out for a few weeks. A moderate version of the injury could be six weeks.

[AlwaysinModeration]

Congrats, kid!

[Patzky]

27 minutes ago, CRF said:

Was kind of hoping that Royce wasn't going to go IL, but it's not a surprise. A short stint, heal up, and get back to raking in a couple weeks. Meanwhile, the other guys have to pick up the slack. Good luck to Martin. 

Have they given a timeframe for Royce? Personally I wanted to see Miranda back up.. maybe next in line. :( 

[stringer bell]

Good luck to Martin. I think it is his time and I hope he makes it a hard decision to send him down.

There should be opportunities on the short side of a platoon, either at second or in the outfield if Buxton is utilized as a DH.

The mlbtraderumors.com story considers Martin a good glove at second, while the OP thinks his defense will be an asset only in the outfield. 
 

Martin can be used as a pinch runner and defensive replacement, giving him quite a few ways to get into a game.

I thought Martin had the inside track to claim the 26th man spot until Margot was acquired. He’ll probably have at least until the end of next month to show he belongs. 

[bean5302]

Like everybody else, I expect Martin to be the call if Lewis went to the IL. That said, it was for different reasons as I think Martin has kind of slipped into Nick Gordon circa 2021 status. We'll see if they call his number with any regularity or if he just rides the bench for the most part.

I am pretty curious to see what his sprint speed numbers look like. I know he steals a lot of bases, but his run tool never graded out as more than 50/55 as I recall.

[Karbo]

Finally get a chance to see the guy that was the key in the Berrios trade. Now we'll see how they use him and how many AB's he gets.

[nicksaviking]

33 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

It sounds like even a minor version of Lewis's injury takes a player out for a few weeks. A moderate version of the injury could be six weeks.

Hope for the first option, but neither are going to cripple the season. 

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

The expected choice, no surprise.

Against RHP I think I'd rather see him play LF with Wallner at DH and Kirilloff at 1B than see Wallner in LF, Kirilloff at DH and Santana at 1B. The defensive upgrade is about the same but I'd rather give playing time to the rookie and see what he can do.

A way to get Martin in and Santana out of the lineup.  Do it.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

Martin has the potential to be like Julien,  well outperforming expectations.  He has excellent command of the strike zone,  just needs a little more contact.  That had been improving going back to his previous style rather than going for more power.  However I want to see more consistent with higher BA and OBP ranging in the .370 to .400 range.  That will allow him to be a menace on the basepaths.  

[Ted Schwerzler]

33 minutes ago, Patzky said:

Have they given a timeframe for Royce? Personally I wanted to see Miranda back up.. maybe next in line. :( 

Check around noon today for that update. Also, I think this move speaks volumes about where Miranda’s arm/shoulder are at.

[Doctor Gast]

I hate to see Lewis go down but I'm excited to see what Martin can do.

Quote

As an infield defender, the glove is shaky. 

Martin wasted his 1st couple of years with TOR & MN trying to make him into a power-hitting SS. When that didn't work out people labeled him as a poor INFer, Which is wrong because he plays a very good 2B. Because he didn't become that slugger, he dropped down the prospect hierarchy. What matters is not HRs but results, which means not striking out in the clutch but getting on base and making a walk, single, or double into a double or triple. Martin is an OB machine plus his speed makes him an ideal lead-off hitter, the best lead-off hitter we could have since a very long time.

I thought Martin should have broke with the team had Margot not been obtained & blocked his path & time in the OF. All the best, Austin!

[Doctor Gast]

38 minutes ago, Patzky said:

Have they given a timeframe for Royce? Personally I wanted to see Miranda back up.. maybe next in line. :( 

I'm looking forward to see Miranda back up but that won't happen unless Santana goes down or Santana really sucks for a loooong time.

[HerbieFan]

Figured this would be the move.  Miranda basically isn't throwing and has been working only at 1B.  I assume this move means Willie Castro will see a bunch of 3B and Martin will play LF

[DJL44]

8 minutes ago, HerbieFan said:

Figured this would be the move.  Miranda basically isn't throwing and has been working only at 1B.  I assume this move means Willie Castro will see a bunch of 3B and Martin will play LF

I hope so. Martin will be competing with Margot for playing time in the outfield.

[HerbieFan]

3 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I hope so. Martin will be competing with Margot for playing time in the outfield.

Was interesting/surprising to see Margot at DH wasn't it?  Castro in LF in game one.  We'll find out soon if they think Martin is better in LF than Margot.  

[ashbury]

Let's hope Martin starts hot with the bat.  That throwing arm (check out the last several seconds of the video, where he 3-bounces it to third base) is going to limit his usefulness to LF and 2B only, and there should be too much competition for playing time at those spots if his bat is only so-so.  He was drafted (and traded) for his bat, and if the bat plays at DH, then he can truly make his case.

[Dman]

I had them moving Miranda up, but I like Martin better as a late innings runner and he has good OnBase skills so could be a decent guy to pinch hit for contact\drawing walks.  He should be decent defensively in Left or 2nd base as well.  I think it is a good choice I was just hoping they were gonna make sure the bat looked good at AAA first, but with Margo, Castro and Farmer ahead of him not sure if we see him much anyway.

I hate that Royce went down due to injury, but I think Martin is a good choice as a player with a very flexible toolset.

[Fatbat]

He will be the best #9 batter in team history until they move him up. Good luck kid!!!

[FlyingFinn]

57 minutes ago, Karbo said:

Finally get a chance to see the guy that was the key in the Berrios trade. Now we'll see how they use him and how many AB's he gets.

Rocco plays everyone and rotates players in the regular season. I think we will see him in LF and Wallner in RF when Kepler gets a day off, especially with Kepler banging up his foot in game #1.

[wabene]

Excited to see some new young talent. Hope the kid tagged along with Jeffers on his throwing program last off-season. Gotta upgrade the pea shooter.

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

Martin has the potential to be like Julien,  well outperforming expectations.  He has excellent command of the strike zone,  just needs a little more contact.  That had been improving going back to his previous style rather than going for more power.  However I want to see more consistent with higher BA and OBP ranging in the .370 to .400 range.  That will allow him to be a menace on the basepaths.  

I'm looking forward to seeing him, but I think the expectations for Martin are getting a bit lofty. Julien's MiLB OBP was !.437! and he hit more HR in 109 games at the majors last year than Martin has in his entire minor league career. I really don't think these are similar kinds of prospects.

[Mike Sixel]

Exciting for him! Hoping he sees more time than Margot 

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

I hope so. Martin will be competing with Margot for playing time in the outfield.

The foolishness of signing Margot concisely explained.

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

Martin has the potential to be like Julien...

 

Yeah...no.

Martin is a marginal talent.

Julien can hit.