Houston Astros Prospect Could Be Franchise's Next Superstar

The Houston Astros have a much maligned pipeline of prospects, constantly being selected as the weakest out of all Major League teams.

Much of that has to do with them depleting the talent by promoting their players to the MLB and trading away others to get established talent for postseason play.

Regardless, the players who graduate from their minor league system to make the Astros' roster normally become impact players.

Their current top shortstop prospect could become the franchise's next superstar.

Houston took Brice Matthews with the 28th overall pick during the 2023 MLB Draft. He was a star high school quarterback before deciding to play baseball in college. At the University of Nebraska, he became the first player to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in a season.

The talented athlete is the No. 4 ranked prospect in the Astros' pipeline, competing at the Single-A level for the majority of this season.

Matthews finished with a slash line of .217/.373/.367 with four home runs, 11 RBI and 16 stolen bases.

"I still feel like I competed really well, but there was a lot more movement on the fastball than there was in college. I think that was the biggest thing," he told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com about the adjustment to professional baseball.

Houston is hoping that he can become their infielder of the future.

Second baseman Jose Altuve is 33 years old and will likely be 36 when Matthews gets the call-up.

Jeremy Pena is likely the shortstop of the future for the Astros, so there's a chance that Matthews has to make the switch to second base at some point during his minor league career.

One thing is clear, the talented prospect is enjoying his time playing baseball.

"It’s been great. It’s been a great experience. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I’m a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason. Just wherever life takes me, I’m ready for it. Flow with the wind," he said.

He'll likely play his way into Double-A at some point next year then will be on the shortlist for call-ups eventually when it gets to that time.

Matthews is certainly a player to keep an eye on at the minor league level, as he could become the franchise's next superstar when he hits the MLB.