This is What a Successful Austin Martin Was Always Going to Look Like

[Cody Schoenmann]

Image courtesy of © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Over 665 plate appearances at Vanderbilt University, Austin Martin put up an astronomical .482 on-base percentage. He was everywhere—on base all the time, and a pest once he got there. It got him drafted fifth overall in the 2020 MLB Draft, by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Martin continued that trend during his first taste of affiliated ball, generating a similarly impressive .424 OBP over 196 plate appearances with Double-A New Hampshire before being traded to the Minnesota Twins alongside Simeon Woods Richardson for José Berríos. He kept thriving after the deal, too, posting a .399 OBP over 168 plate appearances with Double-A Wichita. In his first full season in minor-league baseball, he had a .414 OBP over 418 plate appearances.

 

Then, the Twins' hitting development staff attempted to overhaul Martin’s approach, adjusting his swing and encouraging him to be more aggressive at the plate. The then-24-year-old regressed, dipping to a (still impressive, mind you) .386 OBP over 252 plate appearances with Triple-A St. Paul in 2023. Martin did tap into more power, netting six home runs over that stretch. Still, trading off nearly 40 points of OBP wasn’t worth his minimal power increase—not because the player he'd briefly morphed into wasn't more valuable than the previous one, but because it turned out not to be a step toward the player he would need to be to find success in the majors, where it matters. He moved back to his previous approach after 2023.

 

Jumping between Triple-A and the majors during his 2024 campaign, Martin’s OBP fell from a Vanderbilt-like .469 over 130 plate appearances with Triple-A St. Paul to a Scott Van Slyke-like .318 over 257 plate appearances with the parent club. Martin battled through injuries and another stint at Triple-A in 2025, before breaking out with the major-league club late last season. Down the stretch (albeit in a lost season), he hit .282/.374/.365 (good for a 113 wRC+) over 181 plate appearances. Posting an OBP higher than his slugging average, he was one of the most disciplined hitters in baseball after August 1 last season. He generated an elite zone contact rate, chase rate, and whiff rate, while swinging less often than almost any other player in baseball. Martin has continued that trend early this season, hitting .300/.500/.333 over 42 plate appearances.

 

Gaining traction in the lineup all the time, Martin boasts the sixth-highest OBP (.398) since Aug. 1, 2025, slotting in behind only Brice Turang, Juan Soto, Yandy Díaz, Shohei Ohtani, and Aaron Judge. At the same time, he's hit only one home run and nine doubles, resulting in a .360 SLG. Despite getting on base at an elite rate, Martin has generated a modest .758 OPS over this span, explaining why he hasn’t been spoken of in the same vein as players like Turang and Díaz—let alone Soto, Ohtani, and Judge.

 

Martin is never going to hit for power, and that’s okay—encouraged even. His SLG will likely never be higher than his OBP; he belongs to a player archetype that has become nearly extinct in today’s game. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t possess value. In fact, he's quickly blossomed into Minnesota’s most reliable contact hitter, often finding himself nestled between Byron Buxton and Luke Keaschall atop the lineup. Given his plus defense at both corner outfield spots and the ability to play center field, the former top prospect is maturing into the best version of himself. He doesn't have great bat speed, but he can do everything else well enough to matter.

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[JD-TWINS]

I think Martin is a valuable piece - not sure if the closing statement of him being “a plus outfielder” is substantiated over any length of time?

My caution for expectations come from the fact that Team has faced 8 of 15 starters throwing from the left side. This will normalize to a typical 4 of 15 starters very soon. If he can maintain a .370 plus OBP through the season (100 starts) and play good defense he’s a nice piece! ……. singles & double are just fine!!

[Captain18s]

If he’s a contact hitter he needs to learn how to run the bases to create runs. He has died on 2nd base a few times when he should have been on third after ground balls  or routine deep fly balls

[thelanges5]

Twins need a pest type player. Love the OBP, I’d like to see him run a little more. He stole 11 at the end of LY.
They’re getting two LHP vs Boston and two vs Cincy this week so he’s going to continue starting. 

[arby58]

A .500 OBP is world class. The only two players with a .500 OBP (but far more at bats than Martin's 30) so far this year are Yordan Alvarez and Ben Rice. Unlike Martin, they both have unreal slugging percentages as well - .755 and .756 respectively. 

As the article notes, there are few players whose OBP is higher than their slugging percentage. In 2026, the only comparable outfielder in terms of overall OPS is Randy Arozarena (.426/.400), alhtough Kyle Tucker (.343/.316) and Steven Kwan (.338/.333) also qualify, albeit with lower OPS.

Interestingly, other players this applies to in 2026 are Boby Witt Jr. (.371/322) and Victor Caratini (.345/.283), although my bet is on Witt to turn that around the balance of the year.

It's possible that Kwan is a comparable to Martin, and if so, my guess is the Twins will take it. 

[Doctor Gast]

Martin is an INFer who profiles best at 2B. But Twins analytics loved Julien at 2B (although defensively sucked there) because his bat played there. Julien was cemented at 2B, no matter what. So, Martin was forced to play at SS. That didn't work, so they forced him into the OF. Trying to learn MLB OF, plus Twins trying to convert him into a slugger, greatly hindered Martin. IMO, Twins' greatest mistake, that cost the Twins dearly over the last few years, was cementing Julien at 2B. If Martin had been left alone & seamlessly placed at 2B, Martin & consequently the Twins would have been much more successful. Martin is a good player; let him be himself.

Martin basically plays only against LHPs; LHPs are very hard to steal against. Martin is a good basestealer if he's on more with RHPs; he'd have a lot more SBs & wreak havoc with pitchers to aid following hitters.

 

[GNess]

Most successful teams have a roster of diverse skills and abilities. I cringe when the Twins FO attempts to alter a player away from his natural core talents and towards some higher K results for limited power results such. as it is with Martin.

[arby58]

12 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Martin is an INFer who profiles best at 2B. But Twins analytics loved Julien at 2B (although defensively sucked there) because his bat played there. Julien was cemented at 2B, no matter what. So, Martin was forced to play at SS. That didn't work, so they forced him into the OF. Trying to learn MLB OF, plus Twins trying to convert him into a slugger, greatly hindered Martin. IMO, Twins' greatest mistake, that cost the Twins dearly over the last few years, was cementing Julien at 2B. If Martin had been left alone & seamlessly placed at 2B, Martin & consequently the Twins would have been much more successful. Martin is a good player; let him be himself.

Martin played far more in the outfield than at second base at Vanderbilt. He didn't play 2B at all his freshman year (but played 18 games at 1B, 9 at 3B and 28 in the outfield, as well as 2 at SS and 4 at C). His sophomore year, he was primarily at 3b (51 games) but also 18 at 2B and 4 at 1B. His final year at Vanderbilt, he again didn't play games at 2B and played primarily in the OF. 

In the minors for Toronto, he split time about evenly between SS and OF, with no time at 2B. 

So, it's hard for me to accept the premise that Martin is primarily a 2B and was 'forced' into the OF by the Twins.

[bean5302]

.280/.350/.380 is about where I expect Martin could finish the year. He's not going to be a plus bat, at all, but he could be an above average bat. He can't cover CF, but sure, he can stand where center fielders stand. Given Martin's arm, he's ill-suited for RF, but his range should allow him to make up for some of it provided his defensive instincts have improved.

Martin is never going to put together a season of 3.0+ WAR, but he could maybe eek out some 2.0 WAR campaigns if he remains healthy and is given ample playing time.

As far as comments about him running more on the base paths, he's been caught 3 of the 5 times he's tried so far this year.

[Jack Pine]

Bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, winning run on 3rd at the plate Wallner or Martin type?

[Trov]

As long as he keeps his speed he will continue to have value in baseball with an OBP like that.  There are times a single is just as valuable as a HR.  There are times just putting bat to ball can be as valuable as a HR.  There is still value in a guy that can get on base at high clip, put ball in play at high clip, and run bases well. 

Yes, there are times you will not want him up compares to Wallner or Bell, but there are times you will want him over many others.  If you are getting on base you are not getting out.  Which means your team is still hitting.  There is true value in that.  Yes, it may take 3 hits to a score a run than just 1, but you can also score it with a walk, a stolen base, advance and score on 2 sac flies.  Both have 1 hit, both have 1 run. 

There is also great value in his ability, and willingness to walk.  Similar in lack of power but on base ability, Arraez never would really work walks.  He would battle and put ball in play, but Martin is willing to walk.  I feel a walk for a pitch just feels worse, than a bloop soft cheap single.  Both have a similar result, but walking gets in the pitchers head more I feel. 

Also, Martin can steal bases, he is not great at it, hopefully that improves, but just getting on base and not getting out will always be good.  Give me 9 guys that reach base at over .400 percent clip, and my guess you will have a decent offense.  Even if you never hit too many HR or extra base hits, you still are not getting out, and the pitchers are throwing a ton of pitches. 

[saviking]

OBP is a valuable commodity.  Once a player gets on it puts more pressure on the pitcher 

[Fatbat]

Martin as a OBP leader and on base pest is exactly what MLB and the Twins need!  If he can even be average in the OF, he will get 600 PA this year and score over 100 runs. This team actually is fun to watch and Martin is a very exciting role player!!

[stringer bell]

I've been on the Martin bandwagon since last year. He came back from injury and some Triple A time with an excellent approach at the plate and much-improved defense in the outfield. After seeing a lot of him late in the 2025 season, I thought the obvious comp was Steven Kwan and I continue to have that opinion.

Yes, he lacks power and his base running has been a mixed bag, but the skills he shows in getting on base are legitimate and very valuable. Because he is a top quartile runner, I expect the base running will eventually become a strength. It is a pretty small sample size, but Martin has positive defensive marks this season in left field and last season (post trade deadline when he was used regularly). I would think he would now be an acceptable backup in center field with the better jumps and routes he has demonstrated in the last nine months.

The main question to me is whether Austin Martin should be a "regular", a guy that will get over 500 PAs if he stays healthy. I think that despite their nice current run, the Twins are positioned to find out. 

 

, 

[jmlease1]

51 minutes ago, Jack Pine said:

Bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, winning run on 3rd at the plate Wallner or Martin type?

what a useless comp. Why not say runner on 3rd in the top of the 9th with 1 out and the Twins ahead by one run, who do you want in RF? Unless you're talking about super-duper stars, you're pretty much always going to be able to find a scenario where one player is "better" than the other. How is this helpful?

Martin's a useful player, as long as he can keep getting on base: avoiding outs is incredibly important to having a good offense. For him to be more impactful, he'll need to be able to apply his speed better on the basepaths and in the OF. He's shown flashes.

I don't have a problem with the Twins looking at adding some power to his approach in the minors. That's what the minors is for: to try and perform player development to maximize their success. It's difficult for players with basically zero power to make it and sustain it; it's why we talk about them like they're unicorns. If you're not a threat to turn on a ball and punish a pitcher for throwing a meatball or hanging a curve, you need to get on base a LOT to compensate for it, and if you're not adding another tool to the bag, then the floor might be ok, but the ceiling is not very high. If they could have added a little more pop to his bat, maybe we're looking at more of a Shannon Stewart type on offense.

There's not a lot of comps for what Martin is doing right now. He's not going to maintain the .500 OBP; even a .400 OBP is elite. 

[LewFordLives]

And yet the Twins refuse to bat him leadoff.

[karcherd]

And yet the Twins keep playing Clemens and batting him at leadoff over Martin.

[big dog]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

As far as comments about him running more on the base paths, he's been caught 3 of the 5 times he's tried so far this year.

One slight adjustment should be made- one of the times he was thrown out was when he ran toward second in an attempt to get a throw so Buck could score from third. They threw down, he was out, the Twins scored the run. Not his fault- that has to have been called from the dugout.

[Robert Gauthier]

Can’t score runs without people on base.

[terrydactyls]

1 hour ago, Jack Pine said:

Bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, winning run on 3rd at the plate Wallner or Martin type?

I would pick Wallner every time.  There is nothing sweeter than watching a "clutch" hitter taking a pitch right down the middle for strike three, and then unsuccessfully challenging the call because he's embarrassed.

[Wedman13]

38 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

what a useless comp. Why not say runner on 3rd in the top of the 9th with 1 out and the Twins ahead by one run, who do you want in RF? Unless you're talking about super-duper stars, you're pretty much always going to be able to find a scenario where one player is "better" than the other. How is this helpful?

Martin's a useful player, as long as he can keep getting on base: avoiding outs is incredibly important to having a good offense. For him to be more impactful, he'll need to be able to apply his speed better on the basepaths and in the OF. He's shown flashes.

I don't have a problem with the Twins looking at adding some power to his approach in the minors. That's what the minors is for: to try and perform player development to maximize their success. It's difficult for players with basically zero power to make it and sustain it; it's why we talk about them like they're unicorns. If you're not a threat to turn on a ball and punish a pitcher for throwing a meatball or hanging a curve, you need to get on base a LOT to compensate for it, and if you're not adding another tool to the bag, then the floor might be ok, but the ceiling is not very high. If they could have added a little more pop to his bat, maybe we're looking at more of a Shannon Stewart type on offense.

There's not a lot of comps for what Martin is doing right now. He's not going to maintain the .500 OBP; even a .400 OBP is elite. 

I don't find it useless at all.  But must admit I Grabbed some popcorn, sat back and just waited for someone to hear the name Wallner and jump on.  Can't go there!!

He/She said 'type'.  So maybe a rephrase is needed.  How about 'Gallo or Arraez' type.  I would take Luis every single time.

[Blyleven2011]

For once a positive article about Martin  ...

For once the fans mostly agreeing he adds value to the team ...

[Nshore]

47 minutes ago, karcherd said:

And yet the Twins keep playing Clemens and batting him at leadoff over Martin.

It's the same reason they have Outman on the team - psychological warfare - luring the opponent into a false sense of security.  And before they know what hit them, the Twins have won the series.

[Doctor Gast]

2 hours ago, arby58 said:

Martin played far more in the outfield than at second base at Vanderbilt. He didn't play 2B at all his freshman year (but played 18 games at 1B, 9 at 3B and 28 in the outfield, as well as 2 at SS and 4 at C). His sophomore year, he was primarily at 3b (51 games) but also 18 at 2B and 4 at 1B. His final year at Vanderbilt, he again didn't play games at 2B and played primarily in the OF. 

In the minors for Toronto, he split time about evenly between SS and OF, with no time at 2B. 

So, it's hard for me to accept the premise that Martin is primarily a 2B and was 'forced' into the OF by the Twins.

So you are telling me that Martin is a natural in the OF when he broke into the MLB. If so, then why did so many fans (probably including you & those who are agreeing w/ you) kept ragging on him? For one thing, his arm isn't suited for playing OF & you could tell that routes, judging the ball & aways getting a good jump were not natural for him. Playing OF  at the college level or even in the MiLB is totally a different animal than the MLB. Just because Martin is athletic & played in the OF in college doesn't mean that it's his best position. Normally, it's lacking someone better to man the position. 2B was my natural position, but I mainly played everywhere else because I was needed elsewhere. I played some OF in college & bush league, that doesn't mean anything, it was definitely not my natural position.

I am judging by the Twins & TOR saw him as an INFer & that's why they started him out mainly at SS. Also watching his play on the MiLB field with the short time he played 2B, he graded much better. I believe the stats would prove me right. 

[ashbury]

Small Sample.  Small Sample.  Small sample.  He's drawing walks right now at a higher rate than Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, who led the majors last year - power has something to do with their success at that.  Martin's  batting average on balls in play is like Aaron Judge's last year.  Without power, these numbers won't be sustainable - pitchers will just start throwing him strikes and take their chances on a more typical non-HoF BABIP, and the overall value will start to normalize.  Two SB and three CS add to the picture of "less value than apparent."

[arby58]

19 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

So you are telling me that Martin is a natural in the OF when he broke into the MLB. If so, then why did so many fans (probably including you & those who are agreeing w/ you) kept ragging on him? For one thing, his arm isn't suited for playing OF & you could tell that routes, judging the ball & aways getting a good jump were not natural for him. Playing OF  at the college level or even in the MiLB is totally a different animal than the MLB. Just because Martin is athletic & played in the OF in college doesn't mean that it's his best position. Normally, it's lacking someone better to man the position. 2B was my natural position, but I mainly played everywhere else because I was needed elsewhere. I played some OF in college & bush league, that doesn't mean anything, it was definitely not my natural position.

I am judging by the Twins & TOR saw him as an INFer & that's why they started him out mainly at SS. Also watching his play on the MiLB field with the short time he played 2B, he graded much better. I believe the stats would prove me right. 

Show me where I said he 'was a natural in the OF' and I'll respond. I pointed out that suggesting he was 'forced' into the OF by the Twins doesn't match up with his college or Toronto minor league experience.  Toronto did not 'start him out mainly at 2B' - he split time almost evenly between SS and OF. 

Playing OF at a college power like Vanderbilt should not be dismissed. It's why he was placed at AA after his junior year there. It is notable that the 2019 Vanderbilt team has six players playing in MLB. They don't put players into pedestrian positions - they are playing to win national titles (which they did while Martin was a sophomore). 

[Dman]

I love a batter with a keen eye who can make a pitcher work and get on base.  It is fun to watch when he is at the plate.  As others have noted not making outs and finding your way to first base is an important skill. 

Still this game is primarily measured by OPS for good reason.  We'll see how things shake out the rest of this year, but he is off to a very good start and if he can be a better than average player anywhere then I'm good with whatever his approach is.

[old nurse]

58 minutes ago, Wedman13 said:

I don't find it useless at all.  But must admit I Grabbed some popcorn, sat back and just waited for someone to hear the name Wallner and jump on.  Can't go there!!

He/She said 'type'.  So maybe a rephrase is needed.  How about 'Gallo or Arraez' type.  I would take Luis every single time.

Austin Martin is not the hitter that Arraez was at his peak. Gallo at his peak did not provide the offense that Arraez did. More useless comp scenarios 

[Twins GFP]

There is a lot of offensive similarity here between Martin and Luis Arraez (with a touch of Ben Revere) that no one talks about. Martin is a better defender and probably a better base-runner, but they both are low power, high OBP guys. 

[Wedman13]

17 minutes ago, old nurse said:

Austin Martin is not the hitter that Arraez was at his peak. Gallo at his peak did not provide the offense that Arraez did. More useless comp scenarios 

Career OPS

Gallo:.775

Arraez: .776

useless comp to the question? Seems pretty comparable to me.  Gallo better defender but to the question asked....I'd take Arraez.

Neither of us are Casey Stengel friend so we can have opinions to questions posed.  If you find someone asking something you find useless, I'd say keep scrolling.  I found it an interesting question.