SS Austin Martin, Vanderbilt
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DoB: 3/23/1999. B/T: R/R
2020 Stats: 3 HR, .377/.507/.660, 3 SB, 2/10 K/BB in 16 games
Martin is the best pure hitter in the 2020 draft class, as evidenced by an excellent 36/50 strikeout to walk ratio against a tough SEC schedule over the last two seasons, averaging about one strikeout every other game. For me, the first name that jumps off the page as a comparison is Alex Bregman at LSU. In his junior year, Bregman hit .323/.412/.535 with nine home runs and a 22/36 strikeout to walk ratio, and while we won't get to see what Martin could have done, he probably would have had similar numbers with a bit better of a slash line. Like Bregman, Martin is a smaller right handed hitting SEC infielder that relies on exceptional feel for both the barrel and the strike zone to get by, and both employed quick swings that were more geared towards line drives than home runs. While I don't think Martin reaches 41 home runs in a season, I can see an otherwise similar career arc for the kid from Jacksonville.
Amateur pitching has yet to find a way to get Martin out. He hit .338/.452/.414 as a freshman before exploding for a .392/.486/.604 line as a sophomore, and he was up to .377/.507/.660 in 2020 before his season ended. He's a very deliberate hitter that is comfortable hitting in any count against even the toughest SEC Friday night aces, and when he decides to put a swing on the ball, he very rarely misses. Martin's quick hands and exceptional hand-eye coordination enable him to get his hands inside any pitch in any quadrant of the zone, which leads to a seemingly unlimited supply of line drive base hits that can turn into doubles and triples when they find the gap. He's not the biggest guy in the world at a listed 6', 185 pounds, but there is some over the fence power in there as well, and he could tap into 15-20 home runs per season or more at the major league level. As I mentioned earlier, Alex Bregman had a similar profile in college, and he hit 41 in 2020. And no, I don't think that was solely a product of knowing what was coming.
Defensively, Martin has played second base in deference to now-Pirates prospect Ethan Paul, so 2020 was supposed to be about showing what he could do at the premium position. While he never fully proved himself there, he's likely to be an impact defender somewhere, be that at shortstop, second base, third base, or even center field. All together, he projects for high on-base percentages in the .400 range while hitting 15-20 or more home runs per season, though more power is possible, and all that coming from a shortstop is an All Star projection. The only player in this draft that can challenge Martin's pure hit tool is Nick Gonzales, and none can challenge his combination of offensive and defensive ability. He and Spencer Torkelson seem like the favorites to go first overall, and he's a virtual lock for the top three picks.
Game footage
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