Blue Jays Discussion: Jays draft IF/OF Austin Martin at #5 overall. Time to celebrate

[TheBeastCoast]

It is annoying that this stupid 5 round draft makes it that much harder to sign a guy over slot.

 

[phillipmike]

All right Phil send up the proposal to Farrell. Good work.

You and Kurtz did the work and it looks like I’m getting the credit.

Im the Draymond Green here and you guys are Steph and Klay.

 

[TheMadHatTrick]

Do people find that comforting? Is that not about as insulting as being passed over for the same reason? Really it should be, unless all it is about is getting what you want.

It was bizarre cause he thought it was like a really great observation.

 

[BertCorbeau]

Well that's some exciting news from tonight

 

[phillipmike]

Safe to say our buddy Mason McRae is happy with Shane Farrell.

Shane is Robert the Bruce and John Farrell is his dad.

 

[Kurtz]

You and Kurtz did the work and it looks like I’m getting the credit.

Im the Draymond Green here and you guys are Steph and Klay.

, hey we all ended up with exactly zero rings last year.

Hmm, is it too early to start worrying about how we'll be able to resign all of this talent in 6 years?

Probably too early. But if Shatkins offers Vlad/Bo a long term deal where we pay up up front and save on the back end, I won't be mad at them...

 

[Discoverer]

Safe to say our buddy Mason McRae is happy with Shane Farrell.

Shane is Robert the Bruce and John Farrell is his dad.

Yeah, that's a little much for me. Great pick, definitely, but it was more about Martin falling into their lap and them not passing up the chance to make a big move.

 

[phillipmike]

It was bizarre cause he thought it was like a really great observation.

Yeah it was really strange. I’m trying to find a video. Nightengale is getting roasted for insinuating the same thing. Reynolds outright said it.

 

[phillipmike]

Yeah, that's a little much for me. Great pick, definitely, but it was more about Martin falling into their lap and them not passing up the chance to make a big move.

Agreed. Martin reminds me a lot of Rendon dropping to #6 years ago. Rendon was expected to go #2 in that draft. History repeats itself, Baltimore and KC passed on Rendon and they passed on Martin.

 

[TheMadHatTrick]

Yeah it was really strange. I’m trying to find a video. Nightengale is getting roasted for insinuating the same thing. Reynolds outright said it.

The forthcoming maoist struggle session should be slightly entertaining.

 

[phillipmike]

The forthcoming maoist struggle session should be slightly entertaining.

And Nightengale deleted the tweet.

 

[The Nemesis]

From Keith Law's Round 1 recap:

Law: Thoughts and analysis from Day 1 of the MLB Draft

And that, in turn, meant the No. 1 prospect in the draft class, Austin Martin, was available for the Blue Jays to take at pick 5. Toronto fans should be thrilled to get the best all-around prospect on the board this year, a tremendous hitter who rarely strikes out and makes consistently hard contact, with the athleticism to play any of several skill positions on the diamond, possibly even shortstop. Martin did have some throwing issues this spring before the shutdown, and I wonder if that scared any teams in the 2-4 range, but I’ve heard nothing to indicate that it’s serious.

and from Kaitlyn McGrath's Jays-centric wrap:

Blue Jays land top college bat Austin Martin at No. 5 in...

“We were a little surprised,” Blue Jays amateur scouting director Shane Farrell said. “Obviously, we’re keeping an eye on the mock drafts as they come out throughout the week and are aware of industry consensus, but I think it really started to shake up at picks two and three. And we were surprised a little bit but certainly prepared to make that selection. And we’re ecstatic to have the chance to pick Austin.”
In Martin, the Blue Jays drafted a college player who The Athletic’s Keith Law called “the best overall prospect” in the class “due to his combination of performance, athleticism and all-around quickness.” During his live commentary of the draft on Twitter, Law told viewers that landing Martin was “an enormous home run” for Toronto.

“Blue Jays fans should be over the moon. I think they get the best player in the draft,” Law said.
Law had Martin as his No. 1 prospect; meanwhile, Baseball America and MLB Pipeline had him at No. 2. Baseball America considered the Jacksonville, Fla., native a favourite to be drafted first. “Martin has some of the best pure hitting ability in the class, with eye-popping bat speed, excellent contact ability and impressive plate discipline as well,” Baseball America wrote. MLB Pipeline called Martin the “best pure hitter” in the draft, someone who makes consistent hard contact from the right side. His power might end up being average, MLB Pipeline noted, and Law wrote he can “hit for average with developing power.”

Law said there hasn’t been a prospect as athletic as Martin since George Springer in 2011. In particular, Law noted Martin’s keen batting eye, as he struck out less than 10 percent of the time in 2019.

In 140 games over three seasons at Vanderbilt, including a junior year truncated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Martin hit .368/.474/.532 with only 82 strikeouts.

“He’s a well-above-average hitter,” Farrell said. “This is a guy that manages the strike zone really well. Extremely high contact rates. Somebody we think has the ability to grow into more power down the road, but just really good bat-to-ball skills and ability to manage the strike zone.”

On defence, Martin has played all over the field. MLB Pipeline noted he has the quick feet, soft hands and arm to handle nearly any position. During his freshman season at Vanderbilt, his 58 starts were at six positions. The following season, he primarily played second and third base. This spring, he transitioned to centre field, which Law indicated might have been due to an issue with his throwing that could have been linked to an injury.

 

[phillipmike]

The Red Sox used the 17th pick in Wednesday’s first round on high school second baseman Nick Yorke, and it appears the two will reach an agreement. It’s “expected” that Yorke will sign for less than the $3.61MM slot value of his selection, Alex Speier of the Boston Globetweets. The Red Sox have a bonus pool of $5,129,900, but they’re working without a second-rounder after losing it as a result of a sign-stealing scandal.

so much for that theory.

 

[phillipmike]

MLB Draft 2020 first-round takeaways: Spencer Torkelson goes No. 1 with a twist; Blue Jays get a steal

3. The Blue Jays got the best player in the draft

With the No. 5 pick, no less. Our R.J. Anderson ranked Vanderbilt super utility player Austin Martin as the best player in the draft class, but he was passed over with the top four picks, and the Blue Jays weren't going to let him slip any further. Toronto's great young position player core (Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., etc.) got that much better. They have some things to figure out on the mound, no doubt, but the Blue Jays have the making of a championship-caliber lineup. They have to be over the moon Martin fell to them.

 

[stickty111]

MLB Draft 2020 first-round takeaways: Spencer Torkelson goes No. 1 with a twist; Blue Jays get a steal

I'm still not a Keith Law fan, but he has been more complementry recently about the Jays

 

[Green Snow Storm]

This guy clearly doesnt get it

Nope. Martin is an extremely versatile prospect. My guess is he ends up at center field for the Jays.

 

[SDig14]

Beeter would be amazing and I'm fine punting rounds 3-5 completely if we can get Martin and Beeter.

 

[phillipmike]

My thoughts exactly. If we can sign Caissie in the 2nd for 3rd round money that saves us about 800 to 900k.

Don't forget we can also go over our pool by 5% which is about 550k.

If you are Steph and I’m Draymond and @Kurtz is Klay, does that mean Mason is Durant?

 

[phillipmike]

 

[TheMadHatTrick]

If you are Steph and I’m Draymond and @Kurtz is Klay, does that mean Mason is Durant?

I actually like Caissie a lot the more I've looked into him. Very handsy swing as the scouting reports say, but he's got some power. It's probably lazy to compare him to Corey Koskie cause he's Canadian but his bat reminds me of Corey Koskie. Would be happy with him as an overdraft at 42, even though he loses points for being a ginger.

 

[TheMadHatTrick]

When did Harvey Weinstein start working for the Athletic?

 

[phillipmike]

I actually like Caissie a lot the more I've looked into him. Very handsy swing as the scouting reports say, but he's got some power. It's probably lazy to compare him to Corey Koskie cause he's Canadian but his bat reminds me of Corey Koskie. Would be happy with him as an overdraft at 42, even though he loses points for being a ginger.

It’s worth noting that Conine and Caissie have the exact same tool grades on MLB.com;

45 Hit, 55 Power, 60 Arm and 50 Field.

Difference is Caissie has a 55 Run to Conine’s 40. Other difference is Caissie is 5 years younger.

Conine was taken in the 2nd round in 2018. If Caissie is taken 42, I don’t want anyone thinking it’s a reach. He has more upside than Conine at a younger age and if we can get him at a 3rd round price then he is a better value than Conine.

Plus if he develops he will be what someone on here wanted (I think it was you). Lefty bat with power.

 

[TheMadHatTrick]

If you are Steph and I’m Draymond and @Kurtz is Klay, does that mean Mason is Durant?

 

[rojac]

When did Harvey Weinstein start working for the Athletic?

I know some Jays fans don’t like Keith Law but comparing him to a convicted rapist because of a slight resemblance is a tad extreme. And yes, I know you’re joking.

 

[Hoverhand]

Can someone ELI5 the Mason McRae dialogue on here. I've seen takes ranging from "he's making things up" to "he's an omnipotent being inside Shapiro's brain".