- Full name Jeff Austin
- Born 10/19/1976 in San Bernardino, CA
- Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- Debut 06/26/2001
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Austin won Baseball America's College Player of the Year award in 1998, the same year the Royals selected him fourth overall and paid him a club-record $2.7 million bonus. He sailed through the minors until he reached Triple-A. His curveball, which was his money pitch at Stanford but now is no better than average, and 88 mph fastball weren't enough, and Austin looked like a complete first-round bust until the Royals sent him to the bullpen in May 2001. The change of roles added velocity to his fastball, which now reaches the low to mid-90s, but his command of the pitch still rates below-average. Austin is throwing a hard slider more than his curve now. He went away from the slider in college and starting using it more as he searched for a pitch to help him retire more advanced hitters. It ranks as a borderline plus pitch, and his changeup is fringe average. Austin will have a shot to make the Royals as a bullpen arm, and his starter's background could lead him to a swing role. His ultimate ceiling now looks like that of a set-up man, and he rates behind relievers such as Mike MacDougal, Jeremy Hill and Ryan Bukvich. -
The $2.7 million bonus Austin received as the fourth overall pick in the 1998 draft remains a club record, and it looked like a prudent investment until he got to Omaha. Baseball America's 1998 College Player of the Year hit the wall as a Triple-A starter, going 1- 7, 9.45 to open last season. Austin's curveball always has been his meal ticket, but he and the Royals both learned that it wasn't enough. His fastball never had notable velocity or movement and his changeup was merely average. But once Austin moved to the bullpen last May, his fastball jumped to 94-96 mph and his curve got a little sharper. He even made it to Kansas City for 21 appearances. Austin lost his effectiveness toward the end of the season, perhaps because he wasn't used to the rigors of relieving. He'll get a chance to make the Royals in spring training. -
Austin was Baseball America's College Player of the Year and the No. 4 overall draft pick in 1998. He didn't sign until the following February, when he agreed to a club-record $2.7 million bonus. If not for his holdout, the Royals believe he already would have been a member of the big league rotation. His command is a strong suit. He needed just 30 pro starts to reach Triple-A. Austin's best pitch always has been a hard-breaking curveball. He has made strides with his changeup, a key because his fastball is nothing more than average. He pitches at 89-90 mph and can reach 92. Not only does Austin's fastball lack overpowering velocity, but it also lacks movement. It's fairly straight, and he got hit in Triple-A when he threw it over the plate. He'll have to learn to work the corners better. Austin could win a big league rotation job in spring training but might be better off with a few more starts in Triple-A. He projects as a solid starter, albeit not as a No. 1 guy.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Just two quarters shy of completing work on an English degree at Stanford, Austin resisted the temptation to finish school and wound up leading Wilmington to the Northern Division's first-half title. "He's not that far from the big leagues," Garber said. "He has outstanding stuff and a great work ethic." Under pitching coach Steve Crawford's guidance, Austin developed intimidating movement on his 90-mph fastball and learned how to effectively mix in a changeup. "He used all of his pitches at any time in the count," Gideon said. "He didn't get rattled and usually made batters get themselves out."
