5 Twins prospects who could keep the youth movement going next season
By Josh Hill
Austin Martin, SS/OF
If there's one guy who projects to make an immediate impact on the roster next season, it's Austin Martin. Similar to Royce Lewis, he suffered an injury setback this year that initially looked like it might require Tommy John surgery to repair. Thankfully that didn't end up being the case, and now he appears to be on track to be in the mix for a spot on the Opening Day roster.
Martin's arrival couldn't come at a better time, as he helps fill several different holes in the lineup. He's a classic utility player who can get plugged in just about anywhere defensively, but he'll go a long way in helping the Twins find help in centerfield. Byron Buxton didn't play in the field at all in 2023, and ended up missing the last month of the season with an injury. That's been a common theme throughout his career, as Buxton has simply been unable to stay healthy long enough to have the sort of impact we know he can have.
Having Martin affords the Twins some flexibility in how they approach Buxton, which might in turn help solve some other positional issues. Offensively Martin adds some heft to the lineup, as he slashed .374/.454/.482 in the Arizona Fall League last year which seems to suggest his bat is waking up the way Minnesota was hoping it might when they traded for him back in 2021.
There are a handful of Twins prospects who could have an impact this season, but Martin feels like the guy who could follow closest in Lewis and Julien's footsteps.