According to Fansided on Wednesday, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Austin Martin of DeLand, Florida with their first-round pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft. Even though he is a third baseman, do not be surprised if the Blue Jays have long term plans to move Martin to first base or the outfield because Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of Montreal, Quebec should be the Blue Jays’ everyday third baseman for the next decade.
The fact that the Blue Jays were able to get Martin was somewhat a surprise. That was because he was projected to go second in many baseball publications. It should be noted that DeLand, Florida is also the birthplace of former Atlanta Braves hall of famer Chipper Jones.
Now before Blue Jays fans jump up for joy, one must realize that Martin’s agent is Scott Boras, who can be considered one of baseball’s most aggressive agents. Recognized as “the most powerful sports agent in the world” by Forbes Magazine, among his current clients include Jose Altuve, Cody Bellinger, Xander Bogaerts, Kris Bryant, Gerrit Cole, Bryce Harper, J.D. Martinez, James Paxton of Ladner, British Columbia, Anthony Rendon, Max Scherzer, Corey Seager, Blake Snell, and Stephen Strasburg. The drafting of Martin might be ok in the short term, but might be problematic when they try to come to terms with Martin on a long-term deal.
In three seasons with Vanderbilt University, Martin batted .368 with 14 home runs and 76 runs batted in. In 2019, Martin batted .392 in 65 games, and in 2020, batted .377 in 16 games.
