A closer look at Vanderbilt's Austin Martin

The picture that is painted is an exciting one. It's of a player who not only has a ton of talent but is smart, poised and driven. He can handle the big games and moments. He makes teammates better.

What is not to like about Vanderbilt infielder-outfielder Austin Martin? Many outlets project the Orioles will claim him with the No. 2 overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft on June 10. Many tab Arizona State's first baseman Spencer Torkelson to go 1/1 and Texas A&M left-hander Asa Lacy to follow Martin and go third.

Martin's head coach at Vanderbilt, Tim Corbin, provided some solid insights on Martin in his recent interview on "MASN All Access" with host Paul Mancano.

Martin helped lead Vanderbilt to the 2019 College World Series championship, hitting .392/.486/.604 with 19 doubles, four triples, 10 homers and 46 RBIs. He led Division I, scoring 87 runs, which was a Vandy school record. He led the Southeastern Conference in batting average and OBP, posting the highest average by a Vanderbilt player since 2004.

In about two weeks, he could become an Oriole.

"It's not going to be a surprise if he gets to the big leagues," said Corbin. "At a certain level you start to understand what that looks like. I don't think it's going to take him a long period of time. He's a guy that catches on very quick and he's very confident. It's contained, but he's very confident. There is not a moment or circumstance I've ever seen become too big for the kid.

"He's just one of these kids that you put him in bigger environments and he plays better and better. And he pushes others around him too - physically and mentally, he pushes them to get better. I think there are a lot of pieces to this kid."

Martin is considered the best pure hitter in this draft, with excellent bat speed and a good eye. He hits to all fields. But Corbin provided a scouting report on his baserunning that is exciting. Martin has above-average speed - MLBPipeline.com puts a 55 grade on it - but is certainly not a burner. He stole 22 bases as a freshman and 18 during the 2019 season as a sophomore.

"He's going to be a threat," said Corbin. "Because the key to being a very good offensive player is he's got several dimensions to his game. It's a toolbox that you pull out a lot of different tools with what he can do.

"He's fast, but he's more of an efficient mover. He's a guy that moves very, very well because his brain moves before his body does. He's very instinctual. Because of that he takes very, very good risks on the bases.

"He's someone that is always playing forward. Not just the fact that he can steal bases, but he's moving bases from first to third, second to home. He's not waiting very long. If there is a hesitation in the defense, he spots it and moves up. He is a very good hitter but he is a very good baserunner."

There may be some emerging power with Martin as well. He homered just once as a freshman but hit 10 last year, and he had hit three in 16 games (while batting .377/.507/.660) when the college season was halted in March.

"The guys who can center the baseball, which he can do, seem to pick up more power as time goes on," Corbin said. "They learn timing, they learn the strike zone. I always felt he would develop power and I do think there is going to be another spike in power for him."

From Jacksonville, Fla., the 21-year-old Martin is 6 feet tall and 180 lbs. He bats and throws right-handed. Some scouts have questioned his throwing ability. He has played shortstop in the past, but in 2020 played third base and center field for Vanderbilt.

"We played him at third base here because that's what we needed him to do," Corbin told MASN. "He played every position on the field as a freshman, with the exception of pitch and catch. And the unique thing about him is it didn't matter to him. He just wanted to play and he played every position well.

"Looking at the prospects of a big leaguer, I think he can play second base and I think he can play center field. I get the question a lot: Is he fast enough to play center field? It doesn't matter if he's fast enough, he's instinctual enough. He's a good mover and gets good jumps, understanding ball off the bat. A lot has to do with his mind more than anything else. I don't doubt this kid. He could play anywhere on the field."