The Astros farm system has undergone a significant transformation over the last few years. In the 2025 MLB Draft, Houston made a notable shift in its approach, selecting a high school position player with its first pick for the first time since 2015. That selection was highly regarded infielder Xavier Neyens, who immediately became one of the top prospects in the organization.
Selecting a player is only one part of the draft process. After that, the team still has to convince the prospect to sign, which can be a challenge for a player like Neyens, who had a strong commitment to Oregon State.
“It was harder than most,” Neyens said about signing with the Astros. “I was committed to a really good baseball school in Oregon State so it was a tougher conversation for me and my family but ultimately the position I was drafted in was a no-brainer.”
Neyens ultimately signed with the Astros for $4.1 million, the largest signing bonus the organization has handed out since selecting Alex Bregman in 2015. The scouting profile on Neyens was straightforward, elite power potential from the left side and an advanced approach at the plate. Houston drafted and signed him for his offensive upside, and he has already started to show why the organization was so excited about his bat early in his professional career.
While some prospects struggle out of the gate, it didn’t take long for Neyens’ bat to turn heads. In his sixth professional game, Neyens connected on a laser home run to right field that registered a ridiculous exit velocity of 116 MPH. That type of power is on par with some of the best hitters in Major League Baseball.
Power is a big part of Neyens’ game, but his patient approach has been just as impressive. Through the first half of the season, Neyens has drawn 54 walks in 54 games, resulting in a 22.6% walk rate.
“I’m always trying to hunt my pitch,” Neyens said about his approach. “If it’s not my pitch before two strikes I’m usually not hacking at it. It’s something I’m trying to get a little better at, getting a little more aggressive but I’m just always hunting my heater and laying off the off-speed in the dirt.”
For a prospect who signed for over $4 million because of his bat, the patience may seem surprising at first. But that approach has been a major part of what makes Neyens such an intriguing hitter. Instead of chasing pitches outside the zone, he has shown the ability to work deep into counts and wait for pitches he can handle.
Neyens currently has a swing percentage around 31%, meaning he swings at roughly 31 out of every 100 pitches he sees.
“I’ll always take my walks too,” Neyens said. “Instead of going 0-for-4, you go 0-for-3 or 0-for-2 with a couple of walks it makes your day a lot better.”
Neyens, who is still just 19 years old, recently finished the first half of the 2026 season with the Woodpeckers. It has been a year that has seen him show big-time power, impressive patience at the plate, and an OPS over .800.
“It’s been fine, I’m happy with it [2026 season] so far,” Neyens said. “I’m still growing as a player, there have been ups and downs but it’s kind of what you expect in your first pro season but I’m having fun so far.”
Almost a year removed from the 2025 draft, Neyens has already shown why the Astros were so confident in selecting him. While his power and patience have stood out, some of his biggest improvements have come in areas that don’t always show up in the box score.
“I would say my defense,” Neyens said about what has improved the most. “Coming out of the draft I wasn’t known as a great defender. I’ve put in a lot of work over Spring Training, last summer and then obviously here [Fayetteville]. Just working my butt off at third base and shortstop and I feel like my defense has came a long ways.”
Now entering the second half of the season, Neyens isn’t focused on looking too far ahead. Instead, his goal is simple, continue improving and competing every day.
“Just keep competing,” Neyens said about his goals. “Going out there every day, stay healthy and just compete my butt off.”
Neyens represents the type of prospect the Astros haven’t had in their system in quite some time. At just 19 years old, paired with 18-year-old Kevin Alvarez also developing in Fayetteville, the organization has two young position players who represent an exciting future for the next wave of Astros baseball.
Also be sure to follow on X, @AstrosFuture, follow me on Instagram, @AstrosFuture and like my Facebook page, facebook.com/AstrosFuture.
