Astros' Brice Matthews is ‘not a finished product.' He still produced the game of his life

New York Times

5 days ago

PHOENIX — Ten days ago, caution contradicted a celebration at Daikin Park, where one of Houston's own arrived to actualize a dream. A horde of cameras and curious reporters followed his every move. Family members gathered on the warning track to watch their boy become a big leaguer.
Before Brice Matthews began the journey, his bosses preached patience. Manager Joe Espada emphasized Matthews 'is not a finished product,' candor that could've cast a pall on a prolific day, but crystallized this complex circumstance.
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The Houston Astros had twice passed Matthews over for a promotion during the previous week, spooked by both his swing-and-miss and suspect defense at second base. Neither trait improved in the interim, but injuries left general manager Dana Brown and his lieutenants with little choice other than calling Matthews up on July 11.
'Sometimes,' Brown acknowledged two days later, 'you have to go get guys a little earlier than you would've liked.'
'But, make no mistake, he's got the makeup and the talent to overcome it.'
In an ideal world, Matthews would've spent Monday night somewhere between Sugar Land and El Paso, preparing for a Triple-A series with nonexistent stakes while shoring up his deficiencies. Desperation instead brought him to the big leagues, where Matthews offered the latest lift for a substitute-laden lineup in constant search of someone to step up.
Matthews mashed the first two home runs of his major-league career, chasing home five of the six runs Houston scored during a 6-3 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
'Player development doesn't end at the major-league level,' Espada said afterward. 'It continues at the major-league level. … We can continue that process here, but he's open-minded. He's coachable. He's tough. You need to have those ingredients to be able to finish yourself here at the major-league level.'
Matthews became a bona fide big leaguer on Friday, willing a seeing-eye single through the six-hole during a 6-1 loss in Seattle. The first major-league hit lifts a weight from any rookie's shoulders, but Matthews may have carried a heavier one than most.
Few prospects have debuted during a more difficult circumstance. Matthews arrived amid a three-game losing streak and with outsized fanfare given he grew up in the Houston suburb of Atascocita. Matthews is an alumnus of the Astros Youth Academy, too — the first to ever reach the major leagues for any team, much less the Astros themselves.
Matthews' first major-league at-bat featured four fastballs from Texas Rangers fireballer Jack Leiter. None arrived slower than 97.9 mph. Matthews swung through two of them before watching 99.7 mph putaway pitch paint his inner-half.
Jack Leiter 💯 pic.twitter.com/WLzR3wC2MD
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 12, 2025
Matthews struck out four more times across his next six at-bats, but expecting anything less felt foolish. After seeing Leiter, Matthews faced Jacob deGrom and Luis Castillo during his next two starts. The two pitchers have eight All-Star appearances between them and deGrom wields some of the sport's nastiest stuff.
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'Shellshocked a little bit, but I wouldn't have it any other way,' Matthews said. 'To see what I'm up against and how I need to prepare each and every day and to trust my preparation. It's been good seeing the adjustments I've been able to make and the talks I've had with my teammates and how they've helped me get better and prepare a little bit differently.'
Much of what Matthews lacks on the field is balanced by makeup that has long impressed team officials. Veteran infielder Zack Short — one of the players Houston promoted over Matthews earlier this month — described a 23-year-old with 'mentals (that) are way off the chart.'
'He kind of got punched early this year in April and May and he came out of that stretch like a madman. Determined. He didn't waver,' Short said. 'He, honestly, helped me out a bunch just kind of taking it for what it is and not trying to take it home or take it into another at-bat. That's what's way more impressive than how athletic he is or hitting two homers.'
Mental fortitude is fantastic, but for Matthews to make the next step in his development, a more disciplined offensive approach is mandatory. So is generating more contact. At Triple-A, Matthews paired a 30.2 percent strikeout rate with a 66.6 percent contact rate.
Only six qualified major-league hitters have a lower contact rate than what Matthews authored at Triple-A Sugar Land. Any contact Matthews does make is loud. Seven of the nine balls he's put in play as a big leaguer have exited his bat at 98.9 mph or harder. Doing that more would be advantageous.
'He's a strong kid, it's just getting direction and getting the pitches he knows he can drive, stay away from chasing, let the pitchers come to you,' Espada said. 'If you do that, you're going to find yourself in a position to get some good swings out there.'
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Matthews has a discerning eye — he walked 50 times in 73 Triple-A games — but acknowledged he must be more selective with his swing decisions. Teammates and coaches have encouraged him to shrink his zone and focus on certain quadrants as opposed to becoming a free swinger, but some of the advice isn't even physical.
'Just breathing more, honestly,' Matthews said. 'Taking more deep breaths. Being present, being where my feet are and knowing the guys to my left and right have my back.'
Matthews is correct: he does not need to carry Houston's lineup, even though he attempted to on Monday. Both of his home runs came against Arizona's perennial Cy Young Award contender Zac Gallen — a popular name as the trade deadline nears.
Because he is the best prospect in an otherwise fallow farm system, Matthews' name will also circulate during the next 10 days before the deadline. That he is Brown's first draft pick as a general manager can't be overlooked. Attachment and allegiance are real, but this is a franchise that has long prioritized pennants over prospects.
Brown will maintain that philosophy across the next week and a half. What he must consider, though, is the long-term ramifications of including Matthews in any potential deal. Jose Altuve's transition to left field leaves second base in question. Matthews is the internal heir apparent at the position.
Performances like Monday may ensure Matthews will have a chance to seize the job next spring. This season, if or when Houston's roster returns to full strength, Matthews will not have a defined role. A demotion back to Triple-A Sugar Land is almost guaranteed, unless he can author more performances like Monday's.
'I kinda felt like I was just galloping around the bases,' Matthews said of his first home run.
'I didn't know really what to do. Salute the bullpen and try to be as normal as possible, honestly. It was a lot of fun. Hopefully I can do it a little bit more.'