Elliott: Blue Jays land Martin in luxury, record deal
The Blue Jays signed their first round pick Austin Martin from Vanderbilt for a record bonus. Photo: Andrew Wooley.
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
The words Aston Martin define luxury, class and expensive tastes ... sometimes with James Bond sporting a tuxedo.
The words Austin Martin imply the same: luxury, expensive, sleek and top of the line.
Aston Martin is a luxury British sports car, while Austin Martin was the Blue Jays first pick, fifth overall, who signed with Toronto, agreeing to a record bonus with the Jays on Tuesday.
Rogers Communications owner Edward Rogers, president of Rogers Media Jordan Banks, Jays president Mark Shapiro, genenal manager Ross Atkins and scouting director Shane Farrell agreed to give Martin a $7,000,825 US signing bonus. That is the second highest bonus handed out this year and breaks the Jays signing bonus of $4,547,500 given to first rounder RHP Alek Manoah the first rounder from a year ago.
Martin will be paid $820,125 over the slot value for the fifth spot ($6,180,700). So, kudos to the Jays and super agent Scott Boras of Newport Beach, who will be representing all three of my grandchildren. This draft was much different from when the Jays selected LHP James Paxton (Ladner, BC) with their second pick behind RHP Chad Jenkins.
Paxton, also represented by Boras, was chosen 37th overall from the University of Kentucky. When the NCAA banned Paxton for having an agent he headed to independent ball.
Martin’s income from the bonus is more than everyone on the opening day roster -- if there had been a full season -- save Hyun-Jin Ryu (a Boras client who would have earned $20 million over a full season, now pro-rated over the balance), OF Randall Grichuk ($10.4 million), RHP Tanner Roark ($12 million); Ken Giles ($9.6 million) and RHP Chase Anderson ($8.5 million).
With the Vanderbilt Commodores Martin batted .377 (20-for-53) in the shortened season and posted a .507 on-base percentage, recording nine extra-base hits, with 10 walks and two whiffs in 16 games this year. A native of DeLand, Fla. -- home of Hall of Famer Chipper Jones -- led all NCAA Division I batters in runs (87) while topping the Southeastern Conference in batting average (.392) and on-base percentage (.486) in 2019. In his three years at Vanderbilt, he had 200 hits, 39 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs and a .368 average in 140 contests.
In all, the Jays spent over $10,202,325 on their five picks: second rounder RHP C.J. Van Eyk of Florida State received $1,797,500, third rounder RHP Trent Palmer of Jacksonville was given $847,500, fourth round pick RHP Nick Frasso from Loyola Marymount $459,000 and fifth round Zach Britton of Louisville $97,500.
Four of this year’s crop cracked the partial list of Jays bonus babies ...
Top dollars in signing bonuses
(Includes year, round drafted (over-all pick) and free-agent status (FA)
INF-OF Austin Martin 2020 1st (5th) $7,000,825 US.
RHP Alek Manoah 2019 1st (11th) $4,547,500.
SS Adeiny Hechavarria 2010 (FA) $4 M
INF Vlad Guerrero, Jr. 2015 (FA) $3.9 M
INF Jordan Groshans, 2018 1st (12th) $3.4 M
RHP Jeff Hoffman 2014 1st (9th) $3,080,800
C Max Pentecost 2014 1st (11th) $2,888,300
SS Logan Warmoth 2017 1st (22nd) $2,820,200
RHP Adonys Cardona 2010 (FA) $2.8 M
RHP Nate Pearson, 2017 1st (28th) $2,452,900
RHP Adam Kloffenstein, 2018 3rd (88th) $2.45
LHP Ricky Romero 2005 1st (6th) $2.4 M
RHP T.J. Zeuch 2016 1st (21st) $2.175 M
SS Felipe Lopez 1998 1st (8th) $2 M
RHP Deck McGuire, 2010 1st (11th) $2 M
LHP Daniel Norris, 2011 2nd (74th) $2 M
LHP Matt Smoral, 2012 1st (50th) $2 M
RHP Jon Harris, 2015 1st (29nd) $1,944,800
OF Gabe Gross 2001 1st (17th) $1.865 M
RHP C.J. Van Eyk 2nd (42nd) Florida State $1,797,500
SS Russ Adams 2002 1st (14th) $1.785 M
OF D.J. Davis 2012 1st (17th) $1.75 M
OF Travis Snider 2006 1st (14th) $1.7 M
SS Aaron Hill 2003 1st (13th) $1.675 M
RHP Kevin Comer 2011 1st (57th) $1.65 M
OF Vernon Wells 1997 1st (5th) $1.6 M
LHP David Purcey 2004 1st (16th) $1.6 M
RHP Kendall Williams 2019 2nd (52nd) $1,547,500
1B David Cooper 2008 1st (18th) $1.5 M
C Hagen Danner, 2017 2nd (61st) $1.5 M
RHP Roberto Osuna 2011 FA $1.5 M
SS Dickie Joe Thon 2010 5th (156th) $1.5 M
RHP Billy Koch 1996 1st (4th) $1.45 M
3B Kevin Ahrens 2007 1st (16th) $1,440,000
RHP Eric Pardinho 2017 (FA) $1.4 million
RHP Chad Jenkins 2009 1st (20th) $1.359 M
OF Griffin Conine, 2018 2nd (52nd) $1.35 M
C J.P. Arencibia 2007 1st (21st) $1.3275 M
3B Balbino Fuenmayor 2006 (FA) $1.2
INF Bo Bichette 2016 2nd (66th) $1.1 M
LHP Zach Jackson 2004 1st (32nd) $1.017 M
OF Jake Marisnick 2009 3rd (104) $1 M
OF Jacob Anderson 2011 1st (35th) $990,000
RHP Roy Halladay 1995 1st (17th) $975,000
OF J.B. Woodman 2016 2nd (57th) $975,000
OF Miguel Negron 2000 1st (18th) $950,000
RHP Dustin McGowan 2000 1st (33rd) $950,000
SS Joe Lawrence 1996 1st (16th) $907,500
RHP Trent Palmer 3rd (77th) Jacksonville $847,500
OF Alexis Rios 1999 1st (19th) $845,000
RHP Asher Wojciechowski 2010 1st (41st) $815,400
LHP Brett Cecil 2007 1st (38th) $810,000
LHP Griffin Murphy 2010 2nd (61st) $800,000
C Guillermo Quiroz, 1998 FA $800,000
RHP Peter Bauer 1998 2nd (45th) $800,000
OF Dwight Smith Jr. 2011 1st (53rd) $800,000
SS Christian Lopes 2011 7th (229th) $800,000
OF Dasan Brown 2019 3rd (88th) $797,500
RHP Aaron Sanchez 2010 1st (34th) $775,000
SS Joesphang Bernhardt 1997 FA $770,000
SS Miguel Hiraldo, 2017 FA $750,000.
3B Matt Dean 2011 13th (409th) $737,500
LHP Diegomar Markwell 1996 FA $705,000
RHP Jose Pett 1992 FA $700,000
BOLD indicates played in majors