Richie Martin

Drafted out of high school by the Mariners in the 38th round, Martin is now part of an unusually large crop of college shortstops with a chance to stay at the position as professionals. In the past, Martin has sometimes gotten himself into trouble by trying to do too much in the field. But this year he has done a better job of letting his athleticism take over and is playing the position with ease. He has plenty of range, soft hands and enough arm strength, though it doesn't always earn true plus grades. Martin impressed scouts offensively last summer in the Cape Cod League. He set the Bourne record with a .364 batting average, which ranked second only to Kevin Newman (another well-regarded college shortstop). He has shown more power this year and there's probably even more waiting to be unlocked in his lithe 6-foot, 185-pound frame, but his game remains based on getting on base. He sprays line drives to all fields, controls the strike zone and has above-average speed, giving him the profile of a top-of-the-order hitter. Martin is very young for his class and won't turn 21 until December, giving him more projection than most college position players.