Houston Astros top prospect Cam Smith – acquired in the Kyle Tucker trade in December – has certainly been making a strong case for a roster spot with his bat this spring.
But another Astros prospect has been equally impressive with his glove.
According to a post from MLB Network’s Jon Morosi Wednesday, infielder Brice Matthews, Houston’s No. 2 overall prospect “has impressed Astros officials during spring training, especially on the defensive side.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he debuts in the majors this year.” Morosi posted.
Matthews, a native of suburban Houston, had a solid first full season of professional ball. Despite missing some time with back issues, he finished his 2024 minor league campaign hitting .265 with 15 home runs, 46 walks, and 32 stolen bases in just 79 games.
A late season addition to the roster, Matthews even helped Houston’s Triple-A affiliate, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, capture the 2024 Triple-A National Championship game.
This spring, he has struggled at the plate, only managing three hits in 16 at bats. Nonetheless, Astros’ executives have taken notice. “He’s looked fantastic on and off the field,” Jacob Buffa, Astros senior director of player development and performance science told MLB.com.
Listed as a shortstop or third baseman, he’s played mostly second base this spring and has not made any errors in 25 innings.
“He’s come in confident, he’s shown some leadership abilities. He’s playing second right now, which he didn’t play last year. And he looks great at second. He’s putting together good ABs with good quality contact,” Buffa said.
Earlier this month, the trio of MLB.com writers that make up MLB Pipeline – Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra – had the Astros farm system ranked 29th out of 30 teams.
With position players like Cam Smith (No. 58 overall) and Brice Matthews making noise this spring, this scribe would be surprised to see them stay at No. 29 for long.