Blue Jays sign Trinity Christian grad Austin Martin to record deal

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Austin Martin slipped a few spots in the baseball draft but that didn’t matter at all.

The Toronto Blue Jays were thrilled to have Martin and paid him a record-setting bonus to prove it.

The Trinity Christian grad signed a record contract with the Toronto Blue Jays and got a $7,000,825 bonus, nearly a million dollars more than what slot bonus called for. Martin was the No. 5 overall pick in last month’s draft after being projected to go first or second.

It was the second-highest bonus given to a player in this year’s draft class and the most ever given to a Blue Jays draft pick.

Martin, who played at Eagle’s View as a freshman and his final three seasons at Trinity, was a star at Vanderbilt and helped the Commodores win the College World Series as a sophomore.

He can play all over the field and his versatility could help the Blue Jays as early as this year if the team adds him to its 60-player pool.

Martin had a standout career at Vanderbilt, including hitting .392 last season. This year, he was off to another good start before the season was shut down, hitting .377 through 16 games.