Martin, Eder rising in draft projections

A number of draft projections and prospect lists have been recently updated. Here's where Vanderbilt players are landing.

Vanderbilt All-American Austin Martin has been a tough player to size up for the draft because he's never had a regular position. But Martin's play at third last year, combined with a phenomenal year at the plate, has made that irrelevant in the last few months.

MLB.com recently released its top 100 overall prospects for the coming draft and listed Martin third. Baseball America put Martin third among college players on its 2020 list.

FanGraphs, however, considers Martin the top overall draft prospect for 2020.

MLB.com rated Martin's hit tool a "65," and gave him a "60" overall. His low score came in power (50), but, that started to develop at season's end. Martin's home run total rose from one as a freshman to 10 last year. That included a two-homer game in VU's 3-1 win over Louisville in its College World Series opener.

Martin's chief competition for No. 1 overall is coming from Georgia pitcher Emerson Hancock and Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson.

Lefty Jake Eder had a good sophomore year, posting a 2.97 ERA with 41 strikeouts and 16 walks in 39 1/3 innings.

But it wasn't just the overall numbers that left an impression. Eder consistently pitched well in big spots as the season progressed, showcased by a three-inning, one-run outing against Michigan during which he picked up a save when VU claimed the national title with an 8-2 win over the Wolverines.

Scouts have taken notice. MLB.com slotted Eder as the 33rd overall prospect in the 2020 draft. Baseball America (38th among college players) and FanGraphs (68th overall) aren't as high on the junior.

Eder consistently sat in the low-to-mid-90s last year; MLB.com graded that fastball and his curve both at "55."

All 19 of Eder's appearances were out of the bullpen. The Florida native should get a chance to change that this spring, as he's an early favorite to win one of three rotation spots.

Right-hander Mason Hickman entered Vanderbilt with a reputation for being more of a polished college-ready arm rather than a pro prospect. As a result, Hickman wasn't drafted out of high school in 2017.

Hickman was terrific as a sophomore, posting a 2.05 ERA (24th nationally), an 0.95 WHIP (13th) and 129 strikeouts (13th). Hickman was a weekday starter most of the season, but moved to a weekend starting role by season's end. He picked up the win with a six-inning effort in the season finale.

The Hendersonville, Tenn. native's poise, control (28 walks) and high-spin-rate fastball are getting scouts' attention. BA ranks Hickman the 65th-best collegiate prospect for next June's draft.

Fisher, another junior lefty, got first-round grades a year ago just on the basis of filthy stuff.

Performance, which included a 4.41 ERA, 21 walks and eight hit batsmen in 34 2/3 innings, didn't always match. Fisher was more effective at the beginning of the season, but there may have been a reason for that:

FanGraphs--which can be a little behind the others in its reactions with rankings--still has Fisher 31st on its board overall for next year. BA has him 68th among college pitchers.

Fisher could have an interesting choice to make next summer. While players listed in that stratosphere almost always go pro, Fisher was showing up in the top half of the first round in some mock drafts. There's a significant monetary difference between the middle of the first round and the late second. Fisher would have two years of eligibility remaining, giving him opportunity to raise his stock if he wishes.

Juniors Cooper Davis and Tyler Brown and sophomore Ethan Smith show up on FanGraphs' latest rankings at 140, 200 and 254 overall.

Brown is the most known commodity of the three. The Ohio native doesn't have the most elite stuff on the staff, but, was lights-out as a closer last season (49.1 IP, 65 Ks, 9 BB, 2.19 ERA) and is the prototypical tough-minded, competitive type you'd want in that role. On our most recent podcast with coach Tim Corbin, Corbin indicated that Brown would likely be in the closer's role again.

Davis held down the leadoff role (and left field) for much of last season until an injury forced him to the sidelines for weeks. It's not often that a .331/.441/.421 batting line isn't good enough for automatic inclusion back into the lineup, but that was the case for Davis last year as the domino effect of great seasons by teammates put Corbin in a spot where he didn't want to mess with what was working.

Davis has terrific speed and a good eye at the plate (23 walks, 19 strikeouts) and that's not lost on scouts. He'll enter 2020 with a chance to cement that impression.

Smith's a wild card, a draft-eligible sophomore who's not currently projected in the weekend rotation. The Mt. Juliet native was un-hittable almost all last year (3.27 ERA, .150 average against, 47 strikeouts and just one home run allowed in 33 innings) and it's not hard to see him developing into a first-rounder at some point. So, the question could be whether Smith comes back for 2021 when there's likely more starting opportunity with Hickman and Eder likely gone.