Twins Video
It seems like Austin Martin's scouting report has changed in significant ways a handful of times in his short pro career. He's survived and advanced, though, and his time is coming.
Age: 24 (DOB: 3/23/1999)
2023 Stats: 67 games, 282 PA, .260/.381/.398, 11 2B, 7 HR, 30 RBI, 19 SB, 13.8% BB, 16.3% K
ETA: 2024
2023 Ranking: 10
National Top 100 Rankings:
BA: NA | MLB: NA | ATH: NR | BP: NA
What’s To Like
While there is never any guarantee that a highly-drafted player is going to turn into a superstar (or even a major leaguer, if we’re being honest), there is something to be said about why a player was thus regarded. In Martin’s case, heading into the 2020 draft, he was a leader on a team that had won the College World Series and widely thought of as the best pure hitter in the class. He'd hit nearly .400 that junior season in the SEC, as a shortstop. The Toronto Blue Jays selected him at the fifth spot in that year’s shortened draft, and he immediately showed up in the top 25 of national prospect lists.
The Blue Jays then pushed him straight to Double A to start his career, and he hit .281/.424/.383 before coming to the Twins in the trade for Jose Berrios. He finished out the season with Wichita, batting .254/.399/.381 in his first 37 games with a new organization.
You should notice a couple of things in those batting lines, in that the average and slugging percentage weren’t as high as one might be hoping, and that’s part of the reason he began to fall down those prospect lists. But he also got on base at a clip over .400, so there were still some things to like in his performance.
From all reports, the Twins worked hard with Martin to try and unlock some of the power that was perceived to be missing, and you can see that effort going for naught the next year. Martin’s batting average dropped nearly 30 points at the same level, and his slugging sagged even farther, as he clubbed just two home runs in 90 games, ending with a .683 OPS. Even that on-base percentage that you could hang a hat on was no longer in elite territory. Is this who Martin was going to be?
I’d suggest an injury to his elbow and getting sent to the Arizona Fall League to make up for missed time set him back on the right trajectory. It was clear the adjustments for power didn’t quite work before he missed a month and a half of the season, and when he came back, he was able to reset.
He was fantastic in the AFL, hitting .374/.454/.482 with six doubles and 10 stolen bases, being named to the league’s All-Star team.
He also split his time evenly between shortstop and the outfield, showcasing a versatility that would become more pronounced in the following season. He ranked second on his team in OPS at .936, trailing only fellow Twins prospect and breakout AFL star, Edouard Julien. For comparison’s sake, his batting average and OBP were higher than Royce Lewis’s when he took home that league’s MVP award a few years prior. I don’t think the comparisons to Lewis end there, either.
What’s Left to Work On
Speaking of, he and Lewis have both dealt with some of the same issues coming up through the minors with the Twins. There have been some developmental missteps (perhaps including the team trying to turn him into a hitter he's not destined to be) and some injuries.
Martin’s 2023 started with another elbow injury, and the fear going into spring training was that he may have to end it early with Tommy John surgery. Luckily, that wasn’t the case, and he returned to full-time action at the end of June. Upon finishing a bit of a rehab tour in the FCL and with Fort Myers, Martin was promoted to the St. Paul Saints for the start of July and finished out the season healthy. It would be nice if he could remain as such for a full season.
With the Saints last year, he hit .263 with an on-base percentage again approaching .400 in 59 games. His best month was August, when his OPS eclipsed 1.000 behind a .460 OBP and four home runs.
It’s never going to be the main part of his game, but the power played in that short sample, and he also was a menace on the basepaths, swiping 11 in 13 attempts on the month. If he can continue to get on base like this at the next level, there is a very valuable player here, especially if he's capable of filling in on the grass or dirt on any particular day.
While he started to show he could handle multiple positions that fall out in the desert, that was even more apparent with St. Paul last year. He started 33 games at second base, 10 in center field, and 12 in left at Triple A. He will need to continue to be ready at multiple spots if he’s going to crack the major-league lineup, so getting all the exposure he can to different positions will help.
What’s Next
A good start to his 2024 season means maintaining his solid walk and strikeout rates from the outset back with the Saints. As he heated up last year, those “pure hitter” reports from when he was drafted remained on display. He struck out just 43 times in 59 games with the Saints (17.1%), while drawing 36 walks (14.3%). When he’s going, he’s fully capable of a strong on-base percentage for a leadoff man, or a great one for somebody turning the lineup over. The speed and versatility will also play in ways much different than say, former fan-favorite utility man, Luis Arráez when he was cracking the majors.
He may never be that superstar you hope to get with a guy drafted as high as he was (and acquired for a player as important to the franchise as Berríos), but there is no doubt in my mind that Austin Martin will put on a Twins uniform for the first time during the 2024 season. Whether that’s filling in for an injury later in the season, or even earning a spot on the Twins roster as Byron Buxton insurance to break camp like Michael A. Taylor did last year, Martin will be needed.
He’s also, theoretically, a ready-made replacement for the likes of Willi Castro and Nick Gordon in a utility role whenever such a need arises. The Twins will hope to turn him from needed to unabashedly wanted in the years ahead.
Are you optimistic about Martin’s future with the Twins? What are you looking for out of him during the coming season? Join the discussion and comment below!
Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!
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