Prospect Report: Austin Martin Continues Hot Stretch

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — For the first time in a long while, Austin Martin is beginning to feel like himself. In other words, he's beginning to feel like the player who hit his way to the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 draft.

Three straight nights with three or more hits tends to help. Martin's latest effort came in his Glendale team's offensive onslaught against Salt River. He went 4-for-6 and was a triple shy of the cycle while driving in five of his team's 20 runs.

The output, which boosted Martin's AFL average to an even .500, started on the first pitch of the game, when he socked a 94 mph fastball from Salt River starter Peter Lambert out to left-center field. The ball carried 419 feet and left the bat at 102.5 mph.

Martin's hot start in the AFL is a continuation of the later part of his season, after he returned from a wrist injury which led to a roughly six-week stint on the injured list. In the season's final month, the Vanderbilt alum hit .268/.382/.375 with one home run.

"I'm really just trying to get back to being myself, honestly. I kind of felt a little off this season," he said. "I didn't really feel like myself on the diamond, so it's really just about getting comfortable ... and getting more reps. Really, just trying to hone down on being myself is the most important thing."

Martin was noticeably aggressive at the plate on Tuesday. He swung at the first seven pitches he saw, including the leadoff home run. Overall, he swung at 12 of the 14 pitches he saw, whiffed just once and did not see a called strike.

Afterward, he said swinging more often—without losing any of his signature knowledge of the zone—is by design.

"That's kind of (part) of getting back into myself. I wasn't as selective, I would say, in college. I always had a good eye, but I was a lot more aggressive at the plate," he said. "So it's a matter of just staying within myself and getting back to my approach, and it's starting to show."

Andy Pages, OF, Dodgers: Austin Martin wasn't the only Glendale hitter who had a huge night at the plate. Pages, the Dodgers' No. 7 prospect, had a night to remember as well. The cannon-armed Cuban went 4-for-6 with two home runs and a walk in the Desert Dogs' rout of the Rafters. The homers were Pages' first longballs of the Fall League, and left the bat at 105.6 and 107.5 mph, respectively. Neither of those was Pages' best bolt of the evening, however. That distinction went to a single at 108.8 mph.

Zavier Warren, 1B, Brewers: Warren was the third Glendale batter to rack up four hits on Tuesday night. All four of his hits were singles to right field, and three of the four created exit velocities greater than 106 mph. The effort pushed Warren's early AFL batting average to .476. The 23-year-old Central Michigan alum reached Double-A this season and hit 29 doubles and 12 home runs en route to an OPS of .681.

Mason Miller, RHP, Athletics: Oakland's third-rounder from the 2021 draft made his second AFL start on Tuesday and showed off electric stuff. He used a lively fastball that sat in the upper 90s and touched triple digits multiple times, including a peak of 102 mph to strike out two hitters in three one-run innings without a walk. He threw 31 of his 42 pitches for strikes and got six swings and misses. Miller paired the fastball primarily with a filthy slider in the mid 80s that showed wipeout potential at its best.

Mason Auer, OF, Rays: Though he collected just one hit—an RBI double—Auer deserves praise for his standout defense in center field. The 2021 fifth-rounder out of San Jacinto (Texas) JC made tremendous plays to both sides during Mesa's loss to Surprise. He and Phillies prospect Johan Rojas have shown highlight reel-caliber plays on a near-nightly basis over the first week and change in the desert, providing a welcome treat in what is normally a highly offensive league. Auer's top play Tuesday was a long run deep into the right-center field gap to haul in an extra-base bid from Pirates prospect Henry Davis. That he got there at all is one thing, but that he got there without so much as a dive took an incredible jump, route and blazing speed all working in concert.

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