Austin Martin

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.