Astros 2023 MLB Draft: Houston Selects SS Brice Matthews; Here's What We Know

The hometown kid is coming home! Brice Matthews, a local product out of Atascocita High School in Humble, Texas, was the Astros first-round pick in the 2023 MLB draft.

Matthews played his college ball at University of Nebraska, where he was a flat-out stud while playing for the Cornhuskers for three seasons. In his three years with the team, he hit 32 home runs along with 134 RBIs and 39 stolen bases.

In his 2023 season with Nebraska, Matthews had a slash line of .359/.481/.723 including a 1.204 OPS. He was also the first player in Nebraska history to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in one season. That kind of power and speed is a dream combination in today's game.

The upside for Brice Matthews is out of this world, which is what any team would want from the player they drafted in the backend of the first round of the draft. There is only one very minor issue when it comes to Matthews at the plate and that is his high rate of swings and misses. He's young, so there remains plenty of time to iron out some of his swing and miss tendencies.

Additionally, Matthews is a very pull-happy player. Yes, his power plays to left, but if Matthews begins to drive the ball to all fields, then he will unlock an entirely new level of potential.

As for his defense in the diamond, Matthews covers a lot of ground, which is what you want from a shortstop. He does have great arm strength, but his accuracy is another minor issue as he committed 21 errors this past season. These are things that can easily be adjusted throughout the minors and going forward for Matthews.

One of Matthews best traits is his pure athleticism. Even if the throwing accuracy doesn't come around, his speed and agility would allow Matthews to slide to second base, or even center field, relatively effortlessly.

Matthews went a little earlier than many expected, but he's got lights out potential if he can put all of his tools together. The Astros have had plenty of toolsy players in the past few seasons, and if Matthews finds out how to put them all together as he ascends the minor leagues, watch out MLB.