School: University of Nebraska; Class: Junior
Position: SS; B/T: R/R
Height: 6-0; Weight: 190
Previously Drafted: N/A
High School: Atascocita High School
| Hit | Power | SB | Patience | Glove | Overall |
| 45 | 55 | 55 | 50 | 50 | 45 |
Background: One of the bigger “popup” prospects in the 2023 draft class, Matthews, a wiry 6-foot, 190-pound middle infielder, was a moderately touted prospect coming out of Atascocita High School. Prep Baseball Report ranked him as a Top 100 prospect in the state of Texas. And he quietly put together a rock solid freshman campaign at the University of Nebraska: he slugged .273/.381/.462 with eight doubles, one triple, five homeruns, and seven stolen bases in 39 games.
Matthews’ sophomore campaign with the Cornhuskers was pretty much a repeat performance: appearing in 45 games with the Big-10 Conference squad, he hit .261/.379/.446 with eight doubles, seven homeruns, and 12 stolen bases.
But things all came together for the Texas-born infielder in 2023 as he set career bests in doubles (11), triples (two), homeruns (20), and stolen bases (20) en route to mashing .359/.481/.723. He finished the year with a 53-to-47 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Scouting Report: Consider the following: ;
- Since 2011, only three Big 10 hitters met the following criteria in a season (min. 250 PA): bat at least .350/.470/.700. Those three hitters: Nick Cimillo, Brock Vradenburg, and – of course – Brice Matthews.
The problem for Matthews, at least in the early part of his collegiate career, has been abysmal whiff rates. The 6-foot, 190-pound shortstop swung-and-missed 28.2% of the time as a freshman and that mark slightly increased the following year (28.9%). But he took several noticeable steps forward during his junior campaign, posting a 20% K-rate in a career best 54 games. The tools are in place to be a solid contributor at the big league level: surprising power, above-average speed, and solid glove. It’s all going to come down to the hit tool.
Ceiling: 1.5-win player
Risk: Moderate to High
Grade: Second / Third Round
