Vanderbilt Baseball's Austin Martin Goes No.1 In MLB Mock Draft

Martin wasn't the only Commodore taken in the first round of this MLB mock draft.

It's not a surprise to anyone that Austin Martin was, and could be the No.1 overall pick in the next Major League Baseball amateur draft, so his selection at the top of a CBS Sports mock draft surprised no one. 

What might surprise some, however, is the other Commodore selected in round one, and two Vanderbilt commits who, if taken in the first round, will have a decision to make between college and pro ball. 

Austin Martin goes No.1 overall to the Detroit Tigers, and this is what the experts said of Martin. 

Pick: SS Austin Martin, Vanderbilt ($8,415,300 slot value)

The Tigers hold the No. 1 pick for the second time in three years (Casey Mize in 2018) and this is a draft with five players who had a chance to play their way into the top selection had the season not been shut down. Rather than let things play out and gather as much information as possible, the Tigers will instead have to rely on the information they already have, and make the best possible decision.

"When you prepare for the draft, you don't just start preparing and scouting in February," GM Al Avila told MLB.com's Jason Beck last month. "It starts the year before, and in some cases even longer. After speaking to (assistant GM) David Chadd and (scouting director) Scott Pleis, we have over 600 reports for this year's draft already. We have video on every player. We have a system where I can push a button and the scouting report pops in there."

Martin hit .377/.507/.660 with three homers and more walks (10) than strikeouts (2) in 16 games before Vanderbilt halted its season. He played mostly third base last year and mostly center field this spring, but he's a gifted defender who projects to play shortstop long-term. Martin has power and discipline, and is arguably the best pure hitter in the draft. He projects as an impact five-tool guy.

The somewhat surprising pick comes at No—28, where the New York Yankees make Jake Eder their pick. 

Pick: LHP Jake Eder, Vanderbilt ($2,493,900 slot value)

The Yankees forfeited their second- and fifth-round picks to sign Gerrit Cole over the winter, so they have the second smallest bonus pool ($3.5 million) and aren't really in position to roll the dice on one of several draft-eligible sophomores who fit into the back of the first round, like Miami righty Slade Cecconi or North Carolina slugger Aaron Sabato. Eder has an out-pitch curveball and a fastball that will sit anywhere from 90-97 mph. He's a signable college starter -- Eder struck out 27 in 20 innings prior to the shutdown -- with upside if he can stabilize his velocity closer to 97 than 90.

Make no mistake, Eder has major league ability. Still, his struggles this season at Vanderbilt and having not been able to finish the season-through any fault of his own obviously- make this pick surprising to me. 

Two Vanderbilt commits, Robert Hassell III and Pete Crow-Anderson, are also taken in this mock's first round, which would mean both players would have a decision to make in going to college or taking the money and going pro. 

Hassell, from Middle Tennessee and nearby Independence High School, was taken at No. 13 but the San Francisco Giants. 

Pick: OF Robert Hassell, Independence High School (Tennessee) ($4,197,100 slot value)

This is Year 2 of the Farhan Zaidi regime and we don't have enough information yet to know the Giants' draft tendencies under his watch. The run of arms in the last six picks means the best available players are hitters at this point, and Hassell might be the best pure hitter in the draft class. He has the innate ability to get the fat part of the bat on the ball from the left side of the plate. There are questions about how much power he'll have long-term and where he'll fit defensively, but it's a hit tool you can dream on. Hassell is committed to Vanderbilt, arguably the best player development school in the country. If he winds up on campus, he could be a candidate to go in the top five in three years. The Giants have two extra picks after losing Madison Bumgarner and Will Smith to free agency, giving them a nice big bonus pool to play with ($9.2 million).

Crow-Armstrong went six slots later at No. 19 to the New York Mets. 

Pick: OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, Harvard-Westlake High School (California) ($3,359,000 slot value)

The Mets were very aggressive in GM Brodie Van Wagenen's first draft last year. They manipulated their bonus pool to land two premium talents in Brett Baty and Matthew Allan, and I think we'll see more of the same this year. Crow-Armstrong comes from a baseball hotbed -- Harvard-Westlake has produced Jack Flaherty, Max Fried and Lucas Giolito -- and he's been on the radar a very long time. He's a lefty hitter with power and is maybe the best defensive outfielder in the draft class, and he plays with an aggressive "gamer" style that is endearing to scouts and fans alike. There is some swing-and-miss risk here, but Crow-Armstrong offers quite a bit of upside in the back half of the first round.

Remember, this is a mock draft, but both Hassell III and Crow-Armstrong could be taken in the real draft and be faced with this decision. 

No one could fault either player in opting to take the cash and head to the pro ranks, but it would certainly be fun to see both these young men in a Commodore uniform soon.