Scouting Report

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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. 

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50

Matthews hit a soft .266 in his first two seasons at Nebraska and struggled with the transition from second base to shortstop as a sophomore in 2022, then broke out last spring. He reached base in his first 52 games of the season, batted .359/.481/.723 and recorded just the second 20-20 season in Big Ten Conference history. The Astros made the suburban Houston native the first Cornhuskers first-rounder since Alex Gordon in 2005, selecting him 28th overall and signing him for a below-slot $2,478,200.

Matthews' quick right-handed stroke produced some of the best exit velocities in his Draft class, and he has enough pull power to produce 20-25 homers per season. Despite his monster junior year, some scouts worried about his swing-and-miss tendencies, especially within the strike zone, and his pull-heavy approach. After he hit .217/.373/.367 with a 27 percent strikeout rate in Single-A, the Astros had him clean up some swing mechanics a bit in search of more consistent contact.

An impressive athlete who accounted for 54 touchdowns in his senior season as a Texas all-state quarterback, Matthews has plus speed and is aggressive on the bases. He covers plenty of ground at shortstop but comes with questions about his ability to remain there because his arm is merely average and he has issues with throwing accuracy. Houston is working with him to improve his arm stroke and also has given him some time at third base, with some evaluators believing he might wind up in center field or at second base.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50 

Matthews batted just .266 in his first two seasons at Nebraska and struggled making the transition from second base to shortstop as a sophomore in 2022. 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. The suburban Houston native was the first Cornhuskers first-round pick since Alex Gordon in 2005. Matthews went 28th overall to the Astros and signed for a below-slot $2,478,200. 

Matthews has a quick right-handed swing and the ball jumps off his bat with some of the best exit velocities in the 2023 Draft class. 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.

Awards

SAL Player of the Week

Week	Team
06/09/2024

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	11/08/2024	SS Brice Matthews assigned to Senadores de San Juan.
	09/10/2024	SS Brice Matthews assigned to Sugar Land Space Cowboys from Corpus Christi Hooks.
	08/20/2024	Corpus Christi Hooks activated SS Brice Matthews from the 7-day injured list.
	08/09/2024	Corpus Christi Hooks placed SS Brice Matthews on the 7-day injured list.
	06/18/2024	SS Brice Matthews assigned to Corpus Christi Hooks from Asheville Tourists.
	05/31/2024	Asheville Tourists activated SS Brice Matthews from the 7-day injured list.
	05/25/2024	Asheville Tourists sent SS Brice Matthews on a rehab assignment to FCL Astros.
	05/07/2024	Asheville Tourists placed SS Brice Matthews on the 7-day injured list.
	04/02/2024	SS Brice Matthews assigned to Asheville Tourists from Fayetteville Woodpeckers.
	03/07/2024	Houston Astros Prospects activated SS Brice Matthews.
	02/25/2024	SS Brice Matthews assigned to Houston Astros.
	02/25/2024	SS Brice Matthews roster status changed by Houston Astros.
	07/28/2023	SS Brice Matthews assigned to Fayetteville Woodpeckers from FCL Astros.
	07/28/2023	Fayetteville Woodpeckers activated SS Brice Matthews.
	07/26/2023	SS Brice Matthews assigned to FCL Astros.
	07/15/2023	Houston Astros signed SS Brice Matthews.
	06/14/2023	SS Brice Matthews assigned to College Workout.
	02/20/2022	SS Brice Matthews and assigned to Nebraska Cornhuskers.