The Houston Astros know what they like in the MLB Draft and lately it has been college hitters. The recently called up Brice Matthews certainly shows that there are benefits to the strategy. As for fellow first round pick Walker Janek, it is still up in the air despite his strong start to his pro career.
However, the Astros went slightly off script with the #21 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. They still went with a bat, but instead went with a high school slugger in third baseman Xavier Neyens. After a pretty wild first round overall, Neyens actually fits right in line with Houston likes to see out of their prospects.