Austin Martin

Martin didn't make his Triple-A debut until July 3 after missing the first three months of the season while recovering from a UCL sprain in his elbow. He put up a decent .791 OPS with six homers and 16 steals over 59 games for Triple-A St. Paul. A key part of the 2021 Jose Berrios trade with Toronto, Martin was regarded as a top prospect as the fifth overall pick in 2020. He hasn't lived up to that hype given his injuries and lack of power (.142 ISO at Triple-A). He does display strong command of the strike zone with low strikeout and strong walk rates. He's seen as potential option in center field but isn't seen having the glove to stick at second base. He could emerge as a center field option should the Twins need depth given Byron Buxton's injury history. However, Martin may need to prove himself at Triple-A.

Since 2018, Martin has hit double-digit homers in a season once, when he hit 10 homers for Vanderbilt in 2019. In 222 games since 2019, including at Vanderbilt and in the Arizona Fall League, Martin has hit a total of 11 home runs. It seems safe to say more power isn't on the way. He still logged a .367 OBP at Double-A and a .454 OBP in the AFL while stealing 45 bases in 113 games, so perhaps it's possible Martin could be an OBP-over-AVG version of Whit Merrifield with even less power, but that would require a big-league team giving him everyday playing time while knowing he will probably hit single-digit home runs. Additionally, Martin fits much better at second base and left field than anywhere else, and it's pretty rare for teams with any aspirations to put 30-grade power hitters at those positions.

The fifth overall pick in 2020 by Toronto, Martin is already with his second organization after getting dealt to Minnesota with Simeon Woods Richardson in exchange for two months of Jose Berrios. Martin is extremely good at some aspects of hitting, and quite poor at others. We can safely say that few prospects have a better command of the strike zone (14.4 BB%, 16.1 Chase%) and he showed strong bat-to-ball skill (19.9 K%) for a player who was assigned directly to Double-A for his pro debut. However, there's nothing to point to that suggests he will develop even above-average power. He had a poor 21.2 Hard% and an ISO below .130 with both organizations. On the bright side, he is an above-average runner and was 14-for-18 on stolen-base attempts in 93 games, so if he can develop into a high-OBP leadoff hitter, he could regularly steal double-digit bases with 90-plus runs scored. Martin finished the year red hot, hitting .333/.434/.478 with more walks (11) than strikeouts (eight) over his finals 69 at-bats, and given that many hitters fared better at Triple-A than at Double-A last year, it's fair to think Martin could be ready for the majors sometime this season. Center field is spoken for in Minnesota, and Martin's shortstop defense isn't great, so he could be a player who moves around the diamond and regularly qualifies at multiple positions in fantasy. He is an unusual player, given his strengths and weaknesses, but his hit tool, batting eye and defensive versatility should allow for him to have a long career as an everyday player.

Toronto got a gift when Martin, the second-best position player in last year's draft, slid to the fifth overall pick. The Vanderbilt product has the best hit tool and approach to come from the college ranks since Nick Madrigal, but unlike Madrigal, Martin has above-average game power. While his defensive home remains uncertain, the fantasy-relevant tools are very stable, despite the fact he has yet to play in an official pro game. A good athlete with above-average speed, Martin should be a five-category contributor. He will likely hit in one of the top two spots in what projects to be a loaded lineup when he reaches the majors in late 2021 or early 2022. Martin played all over the infield and also got center field reps at the alternate site. He doesn't have quite enough arm for shortstop, but he could be an everyday player who is almost always eligible at multiple positions.