On
12-5-24, MLB.com posted their top 100 prospects in the upcoming draft.
Beginning 2-2-25, we will post it in backward order, ending with the pick for
1.1
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2025/draft/ -
#79 RJ Austin OF, Vanderbilt
20/years
old 5' 11" 193
TWITTER -
@RjAustin14
Scouting
grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 45 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45
Austin's
athleticism and versatility might have landed him in the top five rounds as a
Georgia high schooler, but he withdrew from the 2022 Draft to fulfill his
Vanderbilt commitment. He started at second base as a freshman and at first
base as a sophomore, when he saw action at all four infield positions as well
as left and center field. He didn't put up huge offensive numbers in his first
two seasons but had a strong summer with the U.S. collegiate national team and
in the Cape Cod League.
Austin
has a lot going on with his right-handed swing and employs a big leg kick, but
his hand-eye coordination and sense of timing allow him to make repeated
contact to all fields. He almost puts the bat on the ball too easily, producing
too much ground-ball contact and cutting into his walk totals. He lacks power
and rarely drives the ball in the air to his pull side, so he may not offer
more than 10-12 homers per season.
With plus
speed and a high baseball IQ, Austin is a proficient basestealer. He covers
ground and has good defensive instincts, though his fringy if accurate arm
limits his effectiveness on the left side of the infield. He fits best at
second base or center field, and he'll man the latter position this spring.
Scouts love his makeup.
1-22-25 –
Just Baseball: 2025 MLB Draft – Top 80 College Prospects
https://www.justbaseball.com/college/mlb-draft-top-college-prospects/?s=03
19. RJ Austin – OF
HT/WT: 5’11/193 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Vanderbilt | Age:
21.6
One of the more decorated athletes to make it to campus after
the 2022 draft, Austin is a gritty prospect who has become a bit more physical
during his tenure in Nashville.
He’s been a bit positionless in 2024, playing a myriad of positions
given the depth in Vanderbilt’s lineup, primarily first base. Austin got some
run at third base and center field during the summer, two spots where he’d fit
best defensively.
He has a very solid arm across the diamond and the speed,
routes, and instincts to make it work at the “eight.” At the plate, he’s grown
into his power and has average or better raw juice in the bat. Most of that
power will play to his pull-side and his higher-end exit velocities have
cracked the 110 MPH echelon.
Overall, it’s a contact-over-pop profile with a love for
heaters and while he’s aggressive with his approach, Austin hovered around the
80% contact barrier throughout the spring and summer. Expect his profile to
have some helium over the next calendar year.
12-23-24 - Top 50 college baseball prospects for 2025
MLB draft, per D1Baseball
30 RJ Austin OF
Vanderbilt
12-30-21
- https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2021/12/29/2022-mlb-draft-top-300-prospects
-
139 RJ
Austin SS Pace Academy
Atlanta,
GA
Austin
has some of the loudest BP you can find. His high hands create a long bat path,
but Austin really understands his swing. It's a well-leveraged with big loft.
He packs a punch and he's getting into it in-game. Plus arm plays well anywhere
on the field.
Austin
has some pep in his step. He's a bouncy athlete with some twitch in all aspects
of the game. He's a pretty physical kid and presents one of the more explosive
profiles at the shortstop position this year.
https://vucommodores.com/roster/rj-austin/
-
As a
Sophomore (2024)
• Named
to Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List
• 2024
SEC Community Service Team
• 3-for-5
with a double, two runs scored and a stolen base vs. #1 Tennessee at SEC
Tournament (May 22)
• 2-for-4
with two doubles and an RBI vs. #1 Tennessee (May 11)
• Hit
three-run homer in seventh inning and brought home winning run on bases-loaded
hit-by-pitch in 11th inning vs. Tennessee Tech (April 30)
•
Recorded three hits, a homer, triple and double, and drove in three runs vs.
Florida (April 18)
• Drove
in three runs vs. MTSU (April 9)
• Homered
and drove in three runs in win at LSU (April 5)
• Went
3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored vs. Auburn (March 16)
• 3-for-5
with a double, RBI and two runs scored in win vs. Indiana (March 12)
• Drove
in two of Vandy’s four runs on a 2-for-3 day with two stolen bases vs. Illinois
State (March 10)
• 3-for-4
with a double, two runs scored and an RBI vs. Louisiana (March 1)
• Stole
three bases and scored twice vs. Evansville (Feb. 28)
• Drove
in four runs and scored twice vs. Indiana State (Feb. 27)
• Went
4-for-5 with a three-run homer on Opening Day vs. FAU (Feb. 16)
As a
Freshman (2023)
• Named
MVP and All-Tournament at SEC Tournament
• Drove
in a pair of runs with a double in SEC Tournament win against Florida (May 27)
• Two-run
homer in win over Alabama (May 26) at SEC Tournament
• Went
2-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs vs. Kentucky (April 29)
•
Go-ahead RBI single in fifth inning of win vs. South Carolina (April 15)
• Drove
in three runs in series-clinching win at Missouri (April 8)
• Two-run
double in win over WKU (April 4)
• Homered
and tallied three RBIs in win vs. Georgia (March 31)
•
Four-RBI day including a three-run homer in 8-0 win over #3 Ole Miss (March 17)
• Homered
in consecutive at-bats vs. #18 Maryland (March 4)
• Hit
first collegiate home run in win over #18 Maryland (March 4)
• First
collegiate hit in win over #9 Oklahoma State, went 2-for-4 with two RBI (Feb.
18)
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