The first member of the Houston Astros draft class of 2023 is... Spoiler Round 1, Pick 28: Brice Matthews, SS, Nebraska Atascocita Eagle.
MLB: Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50 One of the best athletes in the Big Ten Conference, Matthews batted just .266 in his first two seasons at Nebraska and struggled making the transition from second base to shortstop as a sophomore. He displayed more patience and drove the ball with more authority in the wood-bat Northwoods League last summer, a prelude to batting .359/481/.723 with 20 homers and 20 steals this spring. With his tools, he could go as early as the second round to a team that believes his offensive gains are real. Matthews has a quick right-handed swing and the ball jumps off his bat with some of the best exit velocities in the Draft. He has 20-25 homer potential, with most of his power playing to left field. Despite his breakout year, there are still concerns about his propensity to swing and miss, in particular on pitches within the strike zone, and his pull-happy tendencies. A Texas all-state quarterback after accounting for 54 touchdowns as a high school senior, Matthews is an impressive athlete with plus speed that he uses well on the bases. He covers ground at shortstop but only has an average arm and struggles with throwing accuracy. He'll get the chance to stick at short in pro ball but projects better as a center fielder or second baseman. Baseball America: Age At Draft: 21.3 BA Grade:45/High Tools:Hit: 50. Power: 50. Run: 55. Field: 50. Arm: 55. During the 2023 season Matthews became the first player in Nebraska history to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases. He had a solid season in 2022, when he hit .261/.379/.476 with seven home runs, but made impressive adjustments during his draft year while drawing heavy scouting attention. Scouts marvel at the athleticism and tool set he brings, which can impact a game in multiple ways. A righthanded hitter with a 6-foot, 190-pound frame, Matthews destroyed pitches in almost every quadrant of the strike zone, and his loose, lightning-quick set of hands generated exit velocities up to 113 mph. Most of his heavy damage is to the pull side, but he has shown the ability to drive the ball the other way on pitches out and over the plate. Defensively, Matthews has the ability to stay at shortstop long term. He has the range, quickness and requisite arm strength for the position. He did commit 21 fielding errors this season and had a .900 fielding percentage, so if he’s not able to improve his consistency at the next level, scouts have considered him as a potential center fielder, where his above-average speed, arm, instincts and range could all translate nicely. With an up-the-middle profile and power/speed combination, he’s put himself into top-three rounds consideration. ESPN: 37. Brice Matthews (21.2), SS, Nebraska Matthews was a data nerd favorite entering the spring for his above-average power/speed combo and steadily rose throughout the spring. He's a middle infielder, maybe a shortstop, and has a power-over-hit approach, but has a premium set of tools and strong performances.
Not surprised we went college bat first. From what was leaked out, I just felt like that's what the Astros preferred, all else being equal. Ideally, Ty Floyd falls to the second.
Feels a bit like 2019 where they drafted an athletic high upside college player in the first who might just be scratching the surface of their potential. Hopefully they saved enough to grab them a Colin Barber type later.
Pundits are saying this was a reach. I like the fact that Brice was a high school QB at Atascocita. Good leadership and athleticism. Houston-area kid coming home. Took him a while to adjust to NCAA -- may require patience adjusting to pro ball.
With the MLB draft it’s almost impossible to say any first round pick was a reach. So many teams look for so many different things. Our big board was probably completely different than many other teams big boards. Kid sounds like he’s super athletic with a lot of upside. Get him in the system and develop him!
From Future Stars: Ranked 30 Instant impact since walking onto campus in Lincoln, Brice Matthews is the type of spark plug any lineup would love to have. A former QB1, Matthews offers a highly athletic, twitchy frame up the middle with elite footwork, the ability to move laterally and of course the arm strength to make all of the throws. Compact right handed swing with a penchant for handling velocity and impact with the barrel. Bat speed stands out instantly with strong hands and bat control that allows him to utilize the entire field. Advanced makeup, elite strength and elite defensive actions give Matthews a solid ceiling, but he'll need to curb the swing and miss in his game if he's to survive in professional baseball. There's something of a Marcus Semien vibe to his entire profile, with the flair and athletic actions seen by Mookie Betts. That's by no means a comparison to Betts, but watching Matthews does bring on shades of the Dodgers star right fielder. Extraordinary ceiling. From Prospects Live: Ranked 41 Matthews is the type of player that data-driven evaluators love. He has some of the best batted ball data in college baseball and has hit the cover off the ball this season. The former quarterback is a twitchy athlete with elite athleticism who has no problem handling high-level pitching. There is some significant swing and miss in his game, but that has improved significantly since last season and is truly the only factor preventing him from being a first round pick. Perfect Game had him ranked 34, so there are a couple evaluators that liked the pick. On the other hand, a search does not show him in the top 100 on fangraphs, and Sporting News has him at 60. Seems he has widely differing opinions.
