Houston Astros Select Contract of Local Product -- and Top Prospect -- for MLB Debut

Matthews, 23, was the Astros’ No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He played collegiately at Nebraska, where he was a second-team All-American, after a career at Atascocita High School in Humble, Texas. He played for the Astros’ Youth Academy beginning at age 8 and through high school.

He arrives at the Astros from Triple-A Sugar Land, where he had a slash line of .283/.400/.476/.876 with 25 stolen bases over 73 games. He was set to represent the Astros on Saturday at the All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta.

Since he was drafted, Matthews has appeared in 187 games and has 29 homers, 94 RBIs and 75 stolen bases.

In June, he was named Astros Minor League Player of the Month when he hit .306 in 25 games with six doubles, three triples, four home runs and 16 RBIs. His OPS was .960.

In Houston, he will be used to give the Astros some roster flexibility in the aftermath of injuries to All-Star shortstop Jeremy Pena (fractured rib) and Jake Meyers (calf). 

So what will he need to work on with coaches at the big league level in Houston? Making contact. In the minors, he had a strikeout rate of about 30 percent.

Coaches already have been focusing on cutting the strikeout rate, according to MLB Pipeline, which said this about Matthews:

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.