The Minnesota Twins are among the better-represented teams in baseball when it comes to rostering MLBbros in the big leagues. Whether you’re looking at the rotation with right-handers Simeon Woods-Richardson and Taj Bradley, who are off to a breakout start, or tenured position players like Byron Buxton, Josh Bell, and Royce Lewis, their contributions have led to a better-than-expected beginning to the season for the Twins.
WATCH: Minnesota Twins Pitching Coach LaTroy Hawkins Talks Taj Bradley & Simeon Woods-Richardson
Austin Martin Is Quietly Making Move In Minnesota
But the sixth and arguably least-talked about MLBbro on the 26-man, outfielder Austin Martin, has been the best hitter in Minnesota’s lineup to this point. Martin leads qualified position players on the team in OPS (.928), fWAR (0.7), and wRC+ (174). He’s slashing .311/.484/.444 through his first 20 games, most commonly hitting second in the lineup, behind Buxton.
Carrying over the success he experienced in the back-half of 2025, the 27-year-old Martin might be finding his groove at the major league level. After the Twins tore their organization down to the studs at last year’s trade deadline, Martin was called up on August 1 to get some runway, and he produced. He finished the season hitting .282 with a 107 OPS+, proving he could be a viable piece to a team with increased playing time.
Selected fifth overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2020 MLB Draft, Martin was originally a highly touted prospect. A little over a year later, Martin and Woods-Richardson were packaged in a deal to Minnesota for starting pitcher José Berríos. Martin peaked as the Twins’ No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline in 2022 – behind only Lewis – and was the No. 22 overall prospect in baseball.
But when Martin debuted in 2024, he struggled in 93 games. He amassed -0.2 fWAR and logged an 89 OPS+ during his first cup of coffee in the majors, but Martin has since come a long way from the slow start to his big-league career.
Playing within himself, Martin has honed an approach that plays to his strengths. The Vanderbilt product’s numbers don’t jump off the page when it comes to hard-hit rates and consistently barreling up the ball, but he is finding other ways to be productive. Martin has 14 walks to just 10 punchouts, as he’s walking over 22% of the time, which ranks in the 99th percentile of the league, while only striking out in 16% of his at-bats. He also sits among the league leaders in chase and whiff percentages, showcasing not only his discipline at the dish but also his ability to put the bat on the ball when he takes it off his shoulders.
Scoring 11 runs and stealing a couple of bags as well, Martin is no slouch on the basepaths either, with solid speed. He has even notched two defensive runs saved and one out above average, primarily playing left field but also getting some time in right and centerfield as well.
Minnesota is one of a few apparent rebuilding teams that seem to be ahead of schedule so far in 2026, and Austin Martin’s development into an above-average big leaguer is a key component.
