After seeing three players taken in last year’s draft, the 2015 Florida Class 4A state champion TCA Conquerors can now boast about having the #5 selection in the 2020 MLB draft.
Trinity Christian Academy graduate and star player Austin Martin was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays as the #5 overall pick in this year’s Major League Baseball amateur draft on Wednesday, June 10.
Martin, AKA “Amar,” just finished his junior year at the Southeastern Conference’s Vanderbilt University under legendary coach Tim Corbin. In a season cut short, Martin compiled a slash line of .377/.507/.660 with 3 HR, 11 RBI, and a 3-for-4 stolen-base rate in 16 games with the Commodores.
This excellent output follows Martin’s performance in the 2019 national championship run, in which he helped lead Vanderbilt to an NCAA College World Series triumph after slashing .392/.486/.604 with 10 HR, 46 RBI, and 18 stolen bases in 65 total games. Martin slammed two home runs against Louisville during the 2019 College World Series.
In 140 games at Vanderbilt, Martin hit .368 with 14 HR, 76 RBI, and 43 stolen bases.
This year’s MLB selection is not his first. The Cleveland Indians chose Martin out of high school in Round 37 of the 2017 draft. Martin chose to pursue his college education, and his decision has paid off.
His first college hit was a home run, and he has had nothing but progressive success since then. His Vanderbilt player profile page highlights all his accomplishments, including All-American selections as a freshman and sophomore and preseason All-American honors as a junior in 2020. Unfortunately, as we know, the 2020 season ended abruptly.
Martin was a 2019 Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist.
On MLB Network Wednesday night following Martin’s selection, Coach Corbin had this to say about him: “I am really happy for him and his family…. He has elite recognition and decision-making skills…. Great hitters impact the ball and control the hitting zone, and Austin’s been so good at that.”
Martin came to Trinity in 2014-15 as a sophomore and was instrumental in the Conquerors’ run for the 2015 state title. He hit .341 and drove in 7 runs in 30 games for the Class 4A state champions. One year later, Martin hit .368 with 3 HR and 21 RBI, and as a senior, he ended his high-school career with a .424/.624/.763 slash line, 5 HR, and 23 RBI in 25 games, which garnered attention from all levels.
He originally committed to Jacksonville University but accepted Coach Corbin’s offer shortly before the 2017 MLB draft.
Austin Martin is a high-school state champion and an NCAA Division 1 national champion. A World Series title could soon follow.
NOTE: IN 2019, TCA graduates and 2015 state champions J.C. Flowers (Pittsburgh Pirates, 4th Round), Todd Lott (St. Louis Cardinals, 9th Round), and Josh Broughton (Kansas City Royals, 26th Round) were all MLB draft selections.
