He should have no problem playing 2nd base. The only question is whether he can stay at short, the talent is there but focus sometimes fluctuates at SS.
If not Brown has completely lost me. Both picks tonight have been very underwhelming. It is like we went another year with no first or second round picks but this time it was self imposed. On another topic, I have met a lot of Tredwells and they have all been pink as a bunny's nose so not too surprising to see this one is a pale guy.
That's the guy I was thinking of instead of Brown. I kept thinking of Bill Spiers, and "no, he was the punter for Clemson, not Nebraska"...****!
He should have no problem playing 2nd base. The only question is whether he can stay at short, the talent is there but focus sometimes fluctuates at SS. I will stick with Dana Brown - he has an exceptional track record when it comes to the draft and player evaluation. The fact that both extremes of the scouting department wanted Matthews, makes me feel a lot more at ease.
The pitcher from UCLA they apparently think can be up in the big leagues faster than most 2nd rounders. Bizarre pick to me, I saw him pitch some LAST year and was really good but didn’t see him at all this year and I don’t think he was as good from what I remember. I don’t get paid to do this - so when organizations and people have good track records - I tend to defer to them. I didn’t like the Astros reaching for people like that SS from Florida with a great eye but couldn’t hit (Fontana?). I didn’t like the Gressinger pick either. I’m surprised they drafted who they did in round 2 but I am sure there is a reason.
Burke didn’t have the physical skills Matthews has. I can certainly understand concerns about him being able to be a good MLB SS - but I’m not concerned about him play 2nd, the athletic ability is there and his body shouldn’t change much… so could he struggle to play 2nd? Possible, but I don’t think it is one of the bigger concerns with Matthews…. My concern is his swing and miss on pitches in the strike zone.
Does he have the instincts, feet and hands? That was never Burke's problem, range and arm is a different story. If you don't have the 1st 3 then the convo is over, if you don't have the last 2...welcome to LF or maybe 2B.
Either that Or Dana Brown and his crew like Brice more than others on the board It is possible that Brown doesn’t use mlb.com and fangraphs when making picks
https://theathletic.com/4677888/2023/07/10/mlb-draft-2023-analysis-first-round-law/ 28. Houston Astros: Brice Matthews, SS, Nebraska No. 57 on Law’s Big Board Matthews is the lowest-ranked player on my board to go in the first round because of concerns about his hit tool. He’s got a dead-pull approach and likes the ball down, so fastballs up and in already give him trouble, and that’s not going to get any easier in pro ball. He’s a shortstop for now, but may end up at another position, possibly center field. There’s definitely power here, as he hit 21 bombs for the Huskers this year, but college position players with hit tool questions are pretty high-risk as first-rounders. Scouting Report: Matthews exploded this year for 21 homers for the Huskers after hitting 12 total in his first two years in Lincoln. He finished the year with a .359/.481/.723 line, ending the year fourth among Big 10 hitters in homers and second in walks. The power itself is real, but it comes from a dead-pull approach where he looks for the ball down, which has left him vulnerable to fastballs, especially those up in or just above the zone. He’s an excellent athlete and plus runner who would probably be able to move to center if he can’t stick at short, so he offers some floor where he should play a premium defensive position or could serve as a utility player who can fill in across the infield and in center. The hit tool is a real concern, probably projecting to a 45 at best, but the power, defense and positional value might help it all play. https://theathletic.com/4678554/2023/07/10/astros-brice-matthews-local-draft-pick/ … Most pre-draft projections pegged Matthews as a mid-second-round pick and most prospect rankings had him somewhere in the mid-50s. The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked him No. 57. Selecting Matthews so high may signal the Astros negotiated a signing bonus under the $2.88 million slot value of the 28th overall pick. Teams have until July 25 to sign their draft picks. Though Houston’s minor-league system is regarded as one of the thinnest in the sport, it is overflowing with outfielders at the upper minor leagues. More upper-level pitching and middle infielders are needed. Houston addressed both depleted areas on Sunday, selecting Matthews and UCLA right-hander Alonzo Tredwell with its second-round pick at No. 61. Both amount to upside picks. Matthews’ high-level baseball experience is limited due to his two-sport status in high school. Tredwell, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020, earned Freshman All-American honors as the Bruins’ closer in 2022. He moved into the starting rotation this season, but a back injury limited the 6-foot-8 righty to just 45 1/3 innings. In two years at UCLA, Tredwell struck out 113, walked 18, but threw just 92 1/3 innings. “He’s got front-line potential. Fastball 90-95 (mph), huge extension down the slope. He’s got four pitches, throws a ton of strikes. We thought he really has a high ceiling if he can put it all together,” Astros amateur scouting director Kris Gross said. “He’s got great body control for a 6-8 guy. He’s pretty athletic. He was a pretty good hitter in high school. The whole package there presents a pretty nice upside play for us.” No true middle infielder appeared in Law’s preseason Top 20 Astros prospect rankings. None were ranked in MLB Pipeline’s Top 20, either. Matthews could creep his way into the discussion, provided he can continue the offensive breakthrough he began as a junior. “For a 6-foot, well put together, 195 (lb) guy, he impacts the baseball extremely hard. Some of the best in the country,” Gross said. “With him, it’s just a matter of touching the ball a little more, making a little more contact, which he’s shown signs of doing this year. For an up-the-middle guy, I think he’s got a chance to have a real impactful bat.” Matthews slashed .359/.481/.723 in 265 plate appearances at Nebraska last season. He stole 20 bases and hit 20 home runs, authoring the first 20-20 season by a Huskers player in school history and the second in Big Ten history. The Astros noticed a change in his offensive approach during Matthews’ summer in the Northwoods League and continued to track him into the collegiate season. “He’s worked hard on the plate discipline part of his game. Where he’s made some strides is just the in-zone swing and miss,” Nebraska coach Will Bolt said. “He’s done a better job of doing damage in the middle of the plate and not missing his pitch. He’s always had a pretty good understanding of what he needs to do in terms of doing damage, but he’s really grown in terms of his pitch recognition, taking his walks and that’s where you see the OPS numbers have really jumped for him.” Matthews displayed good plate discipline and contact numbers throughout his collegiate career — he worked 95 walks and struck out 153 times in 615 plate appearances at Nebraska — but only started to unlock power last season. He slugged .723 with 20 home runs after hitting 12 total in his first two collegiate seasons. “He was just able to get the barrel to the ball more consistently this year, and that was kind of always the thing with him,” Bolt said. “You really don’t need to try to hit for power, if you get the barrel to it the ball is going to go. He did kind of work hard on some things from a swing perspective, but really and truly, it’s just kind of an example of a really, really gifted athlete that had not played a lot of baseball in his life just based on his football background.” In addition to high school baseball stardom, Matthews moonlighted as Atascocita’s starting quarterback. Future Houston Texans first-round pick Kenyon Green blocked for him on the offensive line. Matthews won team offensive MVP honors in 2018. Both Bolt and Gross lauded Matthews’ athleticism, which he’s now utilizing as a middle infielder. Matthews is a natural shortstop, but also spent time at both second base and third base while at Nebraska after playing outfield in high school. “We think he’s got the athleticism to cover a lot of ground at shortstop,” Gross said. “It’s a little bit new for him — he was an outfielder mainly in high school, played second base at Nebraska his freshman year. Only two years at shortstop, (but) we like the range, he’s got the arm strength to do it and we think that’s his long-term future.” After Nebraska’s season ended, Gross said the Astros hosted Matthews and his family for a pre-draft workout and visit at Minute Maid Park. Matthews said he interviewed with general manager Dana Brown at the MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix where, according to Matthews, Brown wanted “to get to know me more as a person than a player.” Brown, overseeing his first draft as Houston’s general manager, has prioritized makeup and character to the team’s amateur scouting group since his arrival. “That spoke a lot of volumes to me,” Matthews said. Such high pre-draft interest from the Astros excited Matthews, but he remained measured. Teams scrutinize and study countless prospects in their preparation for the draft. Guarantees are never attached. “It was pretty cool to see that,” Matthews said, “and then for it to happen, it’s crazy.”
Maybe... Maybe not. And if he signs below slot and it lets us pick up somebody who slips in the draft, that may be worth it. Matthews is instantly one of the best athletes in the system, and can see why they like him. Not as sure about Tredwell, as I always have doubts with extremely tall pitchers. There aren't many success stories, and the ones that did usually take longer to develop.
