Former Commodore Austin Martin Gets Paid
Austin Martin helped the Vanderbilt Commodores and head coach Tim Corbin to one of the greatest seasons in the history of college baseball, as he and his teammates captured the 2019 College World Series Championship,
Martin's final season didn't end as well, cut short by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic that is still threatening sports today.
However, Marting received perhaps an even bigger reward on Wednesday, as the No.5 overall selection in last month's MLB Draft signed a massive deal that included a $7,000,825 bonus.
On Wednesday, Martin woke up with whatever money he had in his bank account and pockets but went to bed with needing a personal vault to hold his new deal.
How good was Martin's deal with the Toronto Blue Jays?
Major League Baseball has a slotting system for paying rookie first-round draft picks, and Martin's deal was $800k over his slotting as the No.5 pick. It was the second-largest deal of all selections in his class, trailing only No.1 pick Spencer Torkelson.
Martin now joins a loaded Blue Jays farm system where he could be part of the resurgence of the franchise in the future.
He also has a bit of a built-in cushion, as he will not immediately become the top-prospect in the Jays system, and he might not even be in their top five overall. That's how good their system is right now, according to MLB.com.
There is little doubt as to Martin's skills, or that he will be in the majors sooner rather than later. Still, he now has financial security and no immediate pressure to become a face of the franchise players, despite his lofty draft status.
It must be good to be Austin Martin, today!
