Brice Matthews: Up-And-Coming Dynasty Player

Whether you are an experienced dynasty baseball player or new to the whole thing, it is pretty easy to spot the future stars, such as a Kevin McGonigle or Konnor Griffin, to build your team around. Plenty of lists exist that rank the top prospects, and then simply watching young players will give you all the information you need to know about which young studs to target.

If you are able to land these young players, your team will be looking good for many years to come. But what if you don’t land them for whatever reason? Don’t fret, because there are always hidden gems to be found – a player who may not help you immediately but could be a key player in a year or two.

I believe Brice Matthews is one of those hidden gems. Now 24, he has not set the world on fire during his brief major league career. But the tools are there for him to break out.

Let’s take a look at Mr. Matthews

The Stats

Brice Matthews is a native of the Houston area, playing for Atascocita High School in the suburb of Humble. Undrafted out of high school, Matthews attended Nebraska and was an average player at best as a freshman and sophomore, hitting a combined .266 with 12 homers, 63 RBI, and 19 steals in 84 games.

But the right-handed hitting Matthews had a breakout junior season, slashing .359/.481/.723 with 20 homers, 67 RBI, and 20 steals in 54 games. His 20-20 season was only the second 20-20 campaign in Big Ten Conference history. The Astros were impressed with Matthews and selected him with the 28th overall pick in the 2023 draft, making him the first Nebraska player to be drafted in the first round since Alex Gordon in 2005 by the Kansas City Royals.

In 2024, his first full season as a professional, Matthews reached the Triple-A level, and he did that despite missing six weeks with a back issue. In 79 games at four levels, he slashed .265/.384/.481 with 15 homers, 44 RBI, and 32 steals.

After spending most of last season with Sugar Land, he was recalled by the Astros in July and appeared in 11 games that month and two more in September.

The Tools

• Power

Matthews’ power potential is why the Astros drafted him and why he is in the MLB today. Despite being only 5-10, Matthews packs a tremendous amount of raw power into his frame thanks to his quick bat speed and ability to lift the ball. Through Thursday, he has hit four homers this year with an average distance of 398 feet, including a 434-foot blast off Ranger Suarez. His average exit velocity on those hour homers is 107.7 mph, with the shot off Suarez leaving his bat at 111.1 mph. And his home runs are not all to his pull side, as he drove a ball 387 feet to right field in Baltimore.

Scouts gave Brice Matthews a 55 grade for his power, and when you watch him play, it is easy to see that part of his game on display, and why it is easy to see him become a consistent 25-homer player.

• Hit

This is the part of Matthews’ game where you have to have patience and think long-term when it comes to this player. He currently ranks in the 82nd percentile in launch angle sweet spot at 39.1%. He also ranks in the 71st percentile in barrel percentage. Even more impressive is the fact that he rarely chases the ball, as he has a 23.5% chase rate, ranking in the 83rd percentile. Those are all quality rankings.

But where Matthews struggles is making consistent contact.

Brice Matthews has a lot of swing and miss at pitches in the zone. Despite not chasing pitches, he has a 39.8% whiff rate and a 36.5% strikeout rate. Both of those numbers rank him in the first percentile. Non-fastballs have been the enemy of Matthews. He is hitting .261 with a .587 SLG against fastballs this season, but has only a .211 average and .263 SLG against breaking pitches with seven strikeouts in 19 at-bats. And against offspeed pitches, he is o-for-10 with six strikeouts.

While the strikeout rate is high, it is better than the 42.6% rate he had last season during his cup of coffee with the Astros, thanks to adjustments made this offseason.

• Speed

Matthews has plus speed, stealing 39 bases during his college career and 91 in the minors. With the Astros, he has two steals this year and is a perfect 3-for-3 in his career. He still needs to work on getting better jumps, as he was thrown out 24 times in the minors in 115 attempts, and he was nailed another 11 times in 50 attempts in college.

But if Matthews can start to get on base regularly, he is easily good for 15 steals at this level and probably 20.

The Verdict

Since being drafted, I have Brice Matthews stashed in my minors in a number of leagues, so I obviously like him. Is he likely to be a stud this season? No. I don’t expect him to be a key player for me this year, as I don’t think he is immediately going to see everything click at the plate all at once. But the upside is unquestionably there.

I know this is not the most accurate stat line to look at, only 42 games into his MLB career, but his 162-game average is 31 homers and 85 RBI, though that comes with a .197/.264/.436 slash line. But his 162-game average this season is 22 homers, 72 RBI, and 11 steals with a .213/.286/.427 slash line. Those are serviceable numbers for a player who will likely be a backup (at best) on most fantasy teams this year.

However, the more he plays, the better his slash line should get, making him a solid starter in deep leagues who will help in the power and speed categories.

And the fact that he can play center field, left field, and second base gives him versatility points! Matthews has been playing mostly center for Houston with Jake Myers on the IL, and while he may lose a few starts there when Myers returns, he will still get plenty of playing time in left, get some starts at second when Jose Altuve is resting or at DH, and he can even play short or third base.

Right now, he is really easy to grab in Yahoo and ESPN leagues, as he is rostered in only 6% of Yahoo leagues and 2% of ESPN leagues. Even in Fantrax leagues, Matthews is widely available as he is rostered in only 36% of leagues.

Thanks!

Thanks for reading, especially if you are a regular who comes here each week. I will be on vacation next week, so you will have to wait two weeks for my next Up-and-Coming Player to be examined.