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Astros Meet First-Round Pick Xavier Neyens During Pre-Game Workout

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Matt Postins | Last updated Jul 19, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Houston Astros are in Seattle to play a three-game series with the Mariners. On Sunday, Houston will conduct some post-draft business.

Per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, the Astros will sign their first-round pick, Xavier Neyens, on Sunday in Houston and then assign him to their Florida complex on Thursday.

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Neyens was at T-Mobile Park on Friday during pre-game talking with Astros players, including rookie Cam Smith, who was the Chicago Cubs’ first-round pick last year.

The opportunity to get their first-round pick in front of some of his potential future teammates was too good to pass up for the Astros.

Astros’ first-round pick Xavier Neyens talks with Cam Smith pic.twitter.com/9alqng2wWB
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 19, 2025

Neyens, who was selected No. 21 overall, played at Mount Vernon High School, about an hour away from Seattle. He is committed to the Oregon State Beavers. But, with his impending signing, he will start his pro career soon.

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Neyens is due a slot bonus of $4.12 million, based on where he was selected. He is the only Astros draft pick due a slot bonus of $1 million or more. Houston did not have their second-round pick, as they surrendered it after signing Christian Walker, who received a qualifying offer from his former team, Arizona.

Astros’ first-round pick Xavier Neyens meets Joe Espada. pic.twitter.com/EMAgOz7cK9
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 19, 2025

Houston also has just one draft pick under contract so far, per MLB.com’s draft signing tracker. The Astros have outfielder Elijah Farley, a 12th round pick out of Navarro (Texas) College, under contract for $150,000.

Players in the first 10 rounds have slot bonuses assigned to their picks. After that, MLB teams can sign selected players in the final 10 rounds to deals up to $150,000 and it won’t count against their signing bonus pool.

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That’s a good thing for Houston. The Astros have the fourth-smallest bonus pool in the draft at $7.2 million.

The Astros selected Sam Houston catcher Walker Janek in the first round of last year’s draft. He’s the starting catcher at High-A Asheville.

Houston’s 2023 first-round pick was Brice Matthews, a Houston native who played his college baseball at Nebraska. He made his MLB debut last week.

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The Astros selected outfielder Drew Gilbert out of Tennessee in the first round of the 2022 draft. Gilbert was included in the Justin Verlander trade with the New York Mets in 2023.

Houston did not have first-round selections in the 2020 and 2021 MLB drafts, which were surrendered due to the electronic sign-stealing scandal that emerged after the Astros’ World Series victory in 2017.

For more Astros news, head over to Astros On SI.

This article first appeared on Houston Astros on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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