Unowned

Austin Martin, OF

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Scouting report

This is a good time to remind readers that present hit tool grades are standardized. Martin's performance, especially late during his 2019 sophomore season, put him at or near the top of the 2020 draft class. He slashed .392/.486/.604 that year and, similar to but perhaps not as emphatically as Adley Rutschman the year before, asserted himself as his draft class' top college hitter. Then Martin came out for the shortened 2020 campaign and though his numbers (against mostly non-conference pitching) were strong, he did not look elite from an eyeball scouting perspective. He wasn't running as well as he had the year before, and he had issues throwing the ball from third to first base, necessitating a move to center field. The industry didn't have much time to assess his routes and instincts there before the shutdown, and his average early-season speed created some skepticism. During his career at Vanderbilt, Martin mostly played third (61 games), but also saw time in center (25 games, half of those as a freshman), and at first (22) and both middle infield spots (14). He continued playing all over the field during his post-draft time at the Blue Jays' alternate site. The low-end pre-draft opinions of Martin feared he'd end up in left field and that he'd be without enough power to support an everyday profile there. I think he's likely to play a couple different positions at a passable level, at least one up the middle (either second or center), and the portion of his offense that drove his amateur stock, namely his elite plate discipline and feel for contact, will carry him to production on par with an above-average regular, à la Ben Zobrist. Martin's swing decisions are fantastic, and the combination of selectivity and his gorgeous, natural swing loft give him an excellent chance of hitting for some power despite middling raw juice. (Alternate site)