Austin Martin

Christopher Austin Martin (born March 23, 1999) is an American professional baseball shortstop in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. He is ranked 2nd on Major League Baseball's 2020 Top 30 Blue Jays prospects list,[1] and 20th overall on the 2020 Top 100 MLB prospects list.[2]

Not to be confused with Aston Martin.
Austin Martin
Toronto Blue Jays – No. 70
Shortstop
Born: (1999-03-23) March 23, 1999
DeLand, Florida
Bats: Right Throws: Right

Amateur career

Martin attended Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Florida. In 2014, he was selected 15U United States national baseball team.[3] Martin was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 37th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and instead attended Vanderbilt University where he played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores.[4]

As a freshman in 2018, Martin started 58 games at six different positions.[5] He hit .338/.452/.414 with one home run, 19 runs batted in (RBI) and 22 stolen bases.[6] He played mostly third base his sophomore year in 2019. In 65 games, he hit .410/.503/.619 with eight home runs and 42 RBI and helped lead Vanderbilt to victory in the 2019 College World Series against Mississippi State.[7] His .410 average led the Southeastern Conference (SEC).[8] After the season, he played for the United States collegiate national team.[3] Before the suspension of his junior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Martin had appeared in 16 games and hit .377 with three home runs and 11 RBI.[9]

Professional career

Martin was considered by MLB.com to be the "best pure hitter" and a top prospect in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft, with potential to be the first player drafted.[10] He was selected fifth overall by the Toronto Blue Jays and was announced as a shortstop.[11][12] He signed on July 8, and received a $7 million signing bonus.[13]

References
  1. "MLB 2020 Prospect Watch". MLB.com. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  2. "MLB 2020 Prospect Watch". MLB.com. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  3. "Forty-One USA Baseball Alumni Selected in the 2020 MLB Draft". USA Baseball. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  4. Sparks, Adam. "SEC baseball tournament: Why freshman Austin Martin passed on pros for Vanderbilt baseball". The Tennessean.
  5. Press, Eric Olson Associated. "Trinity grad Austin Martin powers Commodores in College World Series". The Florida Times-Union.
  6. "Martin again shows he needs to play somewhere". Nashville Post.
  7. Sparks, Adam. "Vanderbilt's Austin Martin is only latest hero this postseason". The Tennessean.
  8. Healy, Joe. "Is Austin Martin Primed For J.J. Bleday-Type Power Surge?". www.baseballamerica.com.
  9. "Vanderbilt Commodores Official Athletic Site - Austin Martin". vucommodores.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  10. Rosenbaum, Mike (June 2, 2020). "Best pure hitting 2020 Draft prospects". MLB.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  11. "These are the best college 2020 Draft prospects". MLB.com.
  12. "The 2020 MLB draft class is stacked! Here are the names to know". ESPN.com. June 10, 2019.
  13. "No. 5 pick Martin signs with Blue Jays". TSN.ca. July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
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