Is Austin Martin going to make the Opening Day roster?
Brooks Lee is by far the most exciting prospect the Twins will be testing out during Spring Training, but don't sleep on what Austin Martin could do.
Martin was a non-roster invite last spring but arrives at Fort Myers as part of the 40-man roster and is hoping to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster when all is said and done. The Twins are hoping for the same thing, as Martin helps solve a few different problems without the team needing to do much more than call him up.
Aside from starting pitching, the biggest area the Twins needed to address was depth behind Byron Buxton in centerfield. All signs point to him being fully healthy this year, but Minnesota needs a plan in place if things go haywire again. Even if they don't, Buxton won't play 162 games and having Martin platooning with him out in center feels like a potential dream pairing.
There's also the potential for Martin to fill in on the left side of the infield. Both Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis battled injuries last season, and Martin can play both shortstop and third base in a hybrid utility role with his duties out in center. He's also a right-handed hitter, which helps Minnesota's quest to fill that need as well.
Martin came over as part of the Jose Berrios trade back in 2021, but injuries have slowed his ascent. We've heard that story before, though, and no one would mind if he followed in the footsteps of the last top prospect who bounced back from injuries that bogged him down.
He's already on the 40-man roster, which means a solid spring from Martin would make it an easy decision for the Twins to make him part of the crew that heads to Kansas City to start the season.