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Toronto Blue Jays spring training: 3 non-roster invitees to watch

By Trevor Popoff

General view of the stadium during a moment of silence for Hank Steinbrenner prior to the game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
General view of the stadium during a moment of silence for Hank Steinbrenner prior to the game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Blue Jays
Austin Martin #16 of the Vanderbilt Commodores gets thrown out at first base. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

You did it, you made it through the offseason And what lies ahead for you and your Toronto Blue Jays will hopefully be worth the wait.

There is a level of hype around this team not felt since 2016, and all eyes will be on Dunedin as the team breaks in their new facility this spring.

Each year, every big league team invites a handful of non-rostered players to spring training. These invitees range from the ceremonial (see Russell Wilson with the Yankees in 2018) to integral in determining an organization’s future (see the three players on this list). Either way, they make the sun-drenched games in Florida and Arizona a whole lot more interesting. Here are three of the Blue Jays’ non-roster invitees to keep an eye on down south.

Toronto Blue Jays: Can Austin Martin offer a preview into what’s to come

Toronto’s fifth overall selection in the 2020 MLB draft, Austin Martin figures to factor in heavily to the Blue Jays’ future.

Fans were teased with a glimpse of the Vanderbilt product during the team’s “summer camp” at Rogers Centre amidst the resumption of the 2020 season, but spring training 2021 figures to be the first time he’ll face MLB pitchers not wearing the same uniform.

This shouldn’t be a problem for Martin. The DeLand, Fla. native flirted with .400 in his sophomore season as a Commodore, batting .392 and walking six more times than he struck out.

Don’t let Martin’s listing as an infielder fool you. He’s just as comfortable producing web gems in the outfield. He projects as a true utility man, which is good for Charlie Montoyo. Martin might play in the infield in Dunedin, but with entrenched stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio dotting the dirt with the big club, expect his first taste of regular season MLB action to come on the outer reaches of the Rogers Centre turf.

Which brings us to the question that we’ve asked with regards to seemingly every Blue Jays prospect: when will we see him play at the highest level? Well, almost certainly not to open this season. It would take an explosion (maybe literally, one that injures multiple current Blue Jays) for Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro to waive their service time-finagling ways and put Martin on the active roster to start the season. Hopefully he breaks through sometime this year. If not, he’ll be primed for an all-but-certain emergence in 2022.

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