Is Austin Martin Out Of Time?

Probably.  He has to make substantial improvements on both sides of the ball to be useful in the big leagues.  He could improve his hitting but probably never enough to make up for his poor fielding.  Likewise he could improve his fielding but probably never enough to make up for his mediocre bat.  More concerning to me is this is a complete whiff in player evaluation and development by the FO which isnt uncommon. 

Keep asking the question, what if?

What if the Twins let him settle into playing only in the infield or outfield.  If so, would his defense be better?

Don't know what to think about his bat.  On paper I wonder if he could be someone similar to Arraez, only a lot faster.  But his play seems to indicate that ain't likely.

His future in the outfield with the Twins doesn't exist with EmRod and Jenkins likely joining the team between this summer and the start of next year, at the latest.  With Lee, Keaschall and others getting close the opportunity for the infield also seems minimal.  That means for now he is a depth player at St. Paul with his future likely with some other organization via either a trade of being DFA'd.

1 hour ago, Cody Pirkl said:

Monday’s roster cuts were a worst-case scenario for Austin Martin and raised some significant questions about his future with the Minnesota Twins. Is his time about to run out?

Absolutely not. He has two options left. As long as he is on the 40 he has a future with the Twins. I agree with the Twins decision to play him everyday in AAA. Julien needs to be in AAA also.

There was a similar article about Larnach in November 2023. He had options. His time hadn’t run out. He starts this year batting clean up.

Good question, Cody. The answer to that question should be no, because they desperately need his fire, his fit at leadoff & his ability at 2B. But unfortunately, Baldelli doesn't have the same priority as I do where passion is a dirty word & his idea of leadoff is Wallner & they are in love with Julien at 2B. 

Twins have tried to fit Martin in unnatural conditions like SS & completely change his swing & the last 2 years play him in the OF at the highest level. If you ever played baseball & were asked to do something unnatural at a higher level, you have to focus on those unnatural areas; other areas will suffer. That's what is happening with Martin. In '23, when Martin was promoted to AAA, they left him alone. He mainly played his natural position 2B & he thrived.

At 2B, we have Lee, who is 1st in line to sub SS & 3B & who has chronic back problems, and Castro, who is more valuable as utility & both Lee & Lewis are down, which makes him more needed elsewhere. Julien & Gasper are subpar at premium 2B. Keaschal is recovering from TJ & should be taken slow & not rushed & he's not on the 40-man. We need Martin settled at 2B where he can flourish defensively & offensively, create that spark & leadoff. 

Julien should be sent down to AAA to further adjust his hitting & finally learn 1B. Martin isn't needed in the OF so settle him at his natural position 2B where he's more needed. When Keaschal is 100% & is knocking down the AAA door then we'll evaluate the situation if both are capable to dominate 2B at MLB.  But afraid with Baldelli's weird analytics he going to waste more talent & make this team worse.

It certainly doesn't bode well for him that he can't beat out Mickey Gasper or Dashawn Keirsey for a spot on the roster. If Emmanuel Rodriguez isn't ahead of him for a call-up, he will be very soon. Luke Keaschall is also trying to get that spot in the big leagues.

Stuart Fairchild is freely available to any team that will put him on a major league roster. Is Martin better than Fairchild?

Right now he is AAAA good. He needs to be MLB good. The future is up to him. At 26yo, his time hasn’t run out but there are other prospects coming with higher upsides. 

 If his outfield play had been just a tad better, there would've been no reason whatsoever for the Twins to go out and get Bader, who is basically the same strength as Martin on the bench, but superior in the field, unless Martin can truly play an infield position.

Martin needs to shine in AAA, show his speed, that he can take pitches, and also play the outfield, which is where he will end up when he leaves the Twins, sadly.

He is younger and probably has mroe oevrall skills than, say, Kiersey, but the Twins choose DeShawn for his speed, ability to maybe play center in a pinch, and he will be an easy remove when Lee or Lewis return.

Sadly, Martin has already been passed on the prospect ladder by Rodriguez and Keuschall and maybe even Jenkins going into next season. With the Twins still having control of Wallner and Larnach.

Yes seems like the right answer to me.

Probably another candidate for the title "needs a fresh start in another organization".

The Twins gave up on Austin Martin when he could not produce home runs with a new batting approach. When was the 3 week period where Martin received regular playing time? Martin switched back in an attempt to find a groove. He has struggled. His time will have to come with another team. He may or may not carve out any time in the majors but he doesn't have a future with the Twins.

The new CBA should be tweaked to prevent teams from sitting on too many players that they do not use at the MLB level. I would suggest the number of option years be reduced. 

7 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Good question, Cody. The answer to that question should be no, because they desperately need his fire, his fit at leadoff & his ability at 2B. But unfortunately, Baldelli doesn't have the same priority as I do where passion is a dirty word & his idea of leadoff is Wallner & they are in love with Julien at 2B. 

Twins have tried to fit Martin in unnatural conditions like SS & completely change his swing & the last 2 years play him in the OF at the highest level. If you ever played baseball & were asked to do something unnatural at a higher level, you have to focus on those unnatural areas; other areas will suffer. That's what is happening with Martin. In '23, when Martin was promoted to AAA, they left him alone. He mainly played his natural position 2B & he thrived.

At 2B, we have Lee, who is 1st in line to sub SS & 3B & who has chronic back problems, and Castro, who is more valuable as utility & both Lee & Lewis are down, which makes him more needed elsewhere. Julien & Gasper are subpar at premium 2B. Keaschal is recovering from TJ & should be taken slow & not rushed & he's not on the 40-man. We need Martin settled at 2B where he can flourish defensively & offensively, create that spark & leadoff. 

Julien should be sent down to AAA to further adjust his hitting & finally learn 1B. Martin isn't needed in the OF so settle him at his natural position 2B where he's more needed. When Keaschal is 100% & is knocking down the AAA door then we'll evaluate the situation if both are capable to dominate 2B at MLB.  But afraid with Baldelli's weird analytics he going to waste more talent & make this team worse.

Martin has not played much at second base. The Twins will not play Martin there. That reality is pretty much in stone. Opinions contrary to the Twins beliefs are futile. Personally I wish the Twins would trade Martin or release him.

The Twins do not love Julien at all. Three games versus RH pitching and zero at bats should make that clear. Julien is another player the Twins should trade or release. Falvey and Baldelli have their ideas of what kind of player and team they want. When Lee returns, Julien will be sent down unless there is another injury. When a team plays Mickey Gasper above Julien it is clear what they think. Some will wonder, who takes Julien's place? It doesn't matter if the Twins don't have confidence in him. Someone like Prato or Morales would make Baldelli happier. Falvey is afraid to move players, so Julien and Martin have to wait.

While neither Gasper or Julien are good second baseman, it should be fairly noted that neither Castro nor Lee are good at the position either. Castro has a double and a home run thus far, so Willi is the second baseman for the foreseeable future. It is what it is.

56 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Martin has not played much at second base. The Twins will not play Martin there. That reality is pretty much in stone. Opinions contrary to the Twins beliefs are futile. Personally I wish the Twins would trade Martin or release him.

The Twins do not love Julien at all. Three games versus RH pitching and zero at bats should make that clear. Julien is another player the Twins should trade or release. Falvey and Baldelli have their ideas of what kind of player and team they want. When Lee returns, Julien will be sent down unless there is another injury. When a team plays Mickey Gasper above Julien it is clear what they think. Some will wonder, who takes Julien's place? It doesn't matter if the Twins don't have confidence in him. Someone like Prato or Morales would make Baldelli happier. Falvey is afraid to move players, so Julien and Martin have to wait.

While neither Gasper or Julien are good second baseman, it should be fairly noted that neither Castro nor Lee are good at the position either. Castro has a double and a home run thus far, so Willi is the second baseman for the foreseeable future. It is what it is.

 

To reiterate, the fact that Martin has played very little at 2B doesn't mean that he's not good there. It's more that management is spending much of his time trying to force him into something that's not natural for him. Again the year '23, they left him alone & played him more at 2B; he had his best year. 

Both Julien & Ober have been sick. They didn't want to risk Julien looking even worse & dig a hole for him, but Ober, I guess they didn't care. 

We are very thin. Castro is ok ish at 2B, but his value is versatility. If one more person gets hurt, he's off 2B, leaving it open for Julien if he's 100%. I'm not disagreeing with you; I'm disagreeing with how management has mishandled Martin & Julien.

15 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

The Twins do not love Julien at all. Three games versus RH pitching and zero at bats should make that clear.

Apparently, he's been puking sick.