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.
Matthews exploded as a junior at Nebraska in 2023, batting .359/.481/.723, recording the second 20-20 season in Big Ten Conference history and propelling himself to the 28th overall pick in the Draft. The suburban Houston product signed for a below-slot $2,478,200 and has totaled 36 homers and 91 steals in 226 pro games, mostly in Triple-A. He made his big league debut last July and went deep four times in 13 games with the Astros, though he also struck out 20 times in 42 at-bats.
Matthews has a compact 5-foot-11 frame loaded with quick-twitch athleticism that produces impressive bat speed from the right side of the plate. With his ability to produce high exit velocities and drive balls in the air to his pull side, he could produce 25-30 homers per season -- if he makes enough contact. He has struck out at a 29.5 percent clip as a pro because he has trouble catching up to fastballs up in the zone and dealing with non-heaters.
As a Texas high school quarterback, Matthews accounted for 54 touchdowns and earned all-state honors as a senior. His athleticism plays better on the bases, where he's an aggressive runner and successful basestealer, than it does in the field. He's a surehanded defender with average arm strength and inconsistent footwork at second base, a bit overmatched on the left side of the infield and inexperienced in center field, where the Astros plan on giving him some time in 2026.
After batting a soft .266 in his first two seasons at Nebraska and struggling with a move from second base to shortstop as a sophomore, Matthews slashed .359/.481/.723 and recorded just the second 20-20 season in Big Ten Conference history in 2023. The Astros took the suburban Houston product 28th overall, making him the first Cornhuskers first-rounder since Alex Gordon 18 years earlier and signed him for a below-slot $2,478,200. He reached Triple-A in his first full pro season despite losing six weeks to back issues, hitting a combined .265/.384/.481 with 15 homers and 32 steals in 79 games between four stops.
The bat speed in Matthews' right-handed stroke and the strength in his compact 5-foot-11 frame produced some of the highest exit velocities in the 2023 Draft. He drives the ball in the air consistently and possesses at least plus raw power that plays from the left-field line to right-center, giving him the potential for 25 or more homers per season. After he struggled in his pro debut, the Astros helped him make adjustments to his swing and approach to try to help him make more regular contact. He rarely chases pitches but has more in-zone swing and miss than is desirable, resulting in a 31 percent strikeout rate in 2024.
One of the best athletes in the system, Matthews accounted for 54 touchdowns in his high school senior season as a Texas all-state quarterback. He has plus speed and uses it to steal bases and cover plenty of ground at shortstop, though he likely won't stay there because he has merely average arm strength and sails his throws when his footwork gets out of whack. He also played third base last year but may project best and have a greater opportunity in Houston at second base, with center field as a fallback option.
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.
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.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
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HR
2025
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
4
4
3
4
4
4
Player
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
4
4
3
4
4
4
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
