Twins prospect Austin Martin sticks to his approach as he returns from injuries

Austin Martin hit a ball into the right-center field gap during the St. Paul Saints' batting practice Tuesday, and Royce Lewis shouted from the dugout, "That's a great swing!"

There were days, Martin admits, when he wondered whether he would play outside of Fort Myers, Fla., this season. He sprained a ligament in his elbow, an injury he dealt with in 2022, and there were concerns it would require surgery that could potentially end his season.

When he avoided surgery and returned in June, he was three games into a Class A rehabilitation assignment before he was injured in a collision in left field, which sidelined him for another two weeks.

The injuries caused plenty of frustration. The games, no matter how he plays, are the fun part.

"My biggest goal this year, honestly, was just to be able to get back on the baseball field," Martin said. "Right now, being able to be here, that's one big step in the right direction for me."

Stats might not be at the forefront of Martin's mind, not after the injury spell he went through, but there are things to like beyond his batting practice swings. In his previous 18 games entering Saturday, Martin hit .357 with four doubles, a home run, 11 RBI and more walks (11) than strikeouts (10).

"Sometimes things happen and you just have to roll with the punches," Martin said. "I had the time to reflect on everything. I think I took advantage of the time that I had down in Fort Myers before I came up here."

Martin's offensive uptick is a welcome sight after he struggled to a .236 batting average and a .668 on-base-plus-slugging percentage before a red-hot September last season. Twins coaches worked on helping him hit for more power — he has totaled four homers in the past two years — and consistently hitting the ball harder.

He's athletic, but his exit velocities are below average. Martin, however, never felt comfortable changing key elements to his approach.

"I just feel more like myself out here," said Martin, a righthanded hitter. "There was a loss of confidence last year because I couldn't relate to the identity of who I was on the baseball field. It didn't feel like me."

Martin, who has primarily played second base this year with some time in center field and left field, injured his elbow last year when he dived for a ball. He was confused by his injury this spring because he thought it was normal soreness. He took a magnetic resonance imaging exam as a precaution and was diagnosed with a sprained ligament.

When he is recovering from injuries, he likes to take the time to reflect. It was during his six-week recovery last year when he realized his power-hitting approach wasn't working.

"I'm not necessarily saying it's out of my potential" to hit for more power, Martin said, "but it's just not where I'm at right now. I just want to hone my game and own that."

Martin understands how a different offensive approach could benefit him. It's difficult to be an impact major leaguer without producing at least some power.

"I learned a lot about myself as a player through that trial and error of last season," Martin said. "It wasn't like I look back on it, 'Why did I waste my time doing that?' It's not like I have hard feelings, 'Oh, these guys messed me up.' It wasn't like that at all. They saw an opportunity to try to help me get better, and I tried to work with it and it just didn't work out."

The Twins traded for Martin, along with pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson, in the José Berríos deal on July 30, 2021. Martin, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft, was a consensus top-50 prospect . Derek Falvey, the Twins' president of baseball operations, said the organization had Martin as a top-two player on its draft board that year.

Martin hasn't realized those high expectations, but he's not far from the big leagues. If he's not called up before the end of the season, the Twins must add him to the 40-man roster by November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft in the offseason.

As Martin spends time in the infield with Lewis and prospect Brooks Lee, he carries himself with confidence. He knows he doesn't have to mimic anyone else's style of play.

"Knowing this is my identity, this is who I am when I am on the baseball field, I know that works," Martin said. "I know that will help teams win."