Twins' Austin Martin wants to go back to college, but not for education

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Austin Martin shook his head as he thought about the way he played last year, his rookie season in the major leagues.

“That’s not me,” Martin says before repeating himself. “That’s not me.”

Martin didn’t feel like his natural self when he took swings. He remembers the fly balls he missed because he didn’t read the ball well off the bat. He didn’t show the athleticism he wanted.

The version Martin wants to replicate is the one from before his professional baseball career started. He starred at Vanderbilt, and he was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 MLB amateur draft.

“That’s been the constant search since I’ve been in pro ball,” Martin said. “That’s where the frustration goes because it’s like, dude, why would you do all that? Whatever you were doing was working. There was no need to change it. You’re always trying to reach that next step. I think personally I just didn’t go about it the right way.”

Martin places blame on himself. Many coaches tried to coax more power from his swing. The thinking was a little bit more thump, turning some of his doubles into homers, could’ve made him a more complete hitter, especially with his low strikeout rate, and he knows the coaches were doing their best to help him.

“Once I got into pro ball, I tried to be something that I wasn’t,” Martin said. “I think me getting away from myself hurt me. But it was a lesson learned, and it was something I had to go through to be able to learn more about myself.”

When Martin was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays — he was later dealt to the Twins in the José Berríos trade — he was billed as best pure hitter in his class.

Martin’s stats last year were mediocre, a .253 batting average and a .318 on-base percentage in 93 games. He totaled 18 doubles, one homer, 16 RBI and 41 runs.

“If I were to give myself a grade on my season last year, I’d probably say C-minus, D-plus just because I know what I’m capable of,” Martin said. “I didn’t show it as much as I’d like to. There were some flashes, for sure. Just being in a different role in terms of playing time and stuff like that, there is a little bit of an adjustment, but I’m a professional, so I’m supposed to make that adjustment as quickly as possible.”

Martin spent the winter in Fort Myers at the Twins’ spring training complex. The primary goal was to become more athletic in all areas of his game. Working with Twins strength and conditioning coaches, he focused on quick-twitch movements in the weight room and on the field.

“I haven’t really felt like I’ve been moving as well as I should be, using my athleticism to the best ability,” he said. “I don’t think I did that at all last year. With that too, there was a lot of emphasis and focus on that this offseason, talking to the hitting coaches and making some adjustments with my movements and stuff. I feel great now. This is the best I’ve felt in the box in a long time.”

Martin, 25, entered spring training with potentially a new role. He will spend almost all his time in the outfield during camp. It’s a shift after he usually divided his time between the infield and outfield to prepare for a utility role.

“I think he has real potential in the outfield to affect the game,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I want him to be a defensive star out there. I think he has the ability and the work ethic to do so.”

Working alongside Twins minor leaguers all winter, Martin centered his defensive drills on live reads during batting practice and fielding fly balls fed through a machine.

The results from the offseason work, Martin said, have been immediate.

“My reads off the bat weren’t good last year, honestly,” Martin said. “… We always have something we need to work on and get better at. It’s good for me to see it as black and white as it was. I had a lot of work to do.”

Martin thought the biggest issue in the past was he tried to force a new swing and force a different playing style. As he tries to cement a spot on the Twins’ roster, he knows he brings unique elements to the team.

“I know my game now,” he said. “Sometimes, you have to go through those ups and downs to really find out who you are as a baseball player and as a person. Even though I’ve had some struggles and some failure through my career, it’s really a blessing in disguise because I’ve learned a lot about myself.”