Baltimore Orioles select Vanderbilt OF RJ Austin in 2025 MLB Draft

Vanderbilt outfielder RJ Austin has heard his name called during the 2025 MLB Draft. He was selected No. 93rd overall in the third round by the Baltimore Orioles.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder doesn’t put up the biggest numbers offensively, but is a versatile defender who has experience playing in all four positions in the infield, as well as center and left field so far during his Commodores career. His versatility on that side of the field landed him on the 2025 SEC All-Defensive Team.

This past season, Austin batted .257 having scored 45 runs across 59 hits. He knocked through a career-high 15 doubles in 2025, as well as a career-best four triples during the season — double the amount of home runs he finished with.

His most productive season so far came in 2024 as a sophomore when his batting average jumped up to a career-best .335 and hit 21 extra-base hits including five home runs. Moreover, Austin boasted a 16% (38 of 242) strikeout rate during his plate appearances, the lowest of his college tenure thus far.

“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,” his MLB scouting report reads.

“With plus speed and a high baseball IQ, Austin is a proficient base-stealer. 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 manned the latter position capably this spring. Scouts love his makeup.”

Austin was an MLB prospect during the 2022 cycle, and was projected to go as high as the fifth round. However, he withdrew his name from the draft before the event and honored his commitment to head coach Tim Corbin for the past three seasons.

Corbin calls him a “throwback player,” and spoke highly of his versatile defender throughout his college career. He will have the option to either sign with his MLB team or return to college for his final season of eligibility.