This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CHICAGO – Considering he was playing high school baseball at this time last year, Xavier Neyens’ introduction to professional baseball has the Astros optimistic about his future.
Neyens, the Astros’ No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline and last year’s first-round pick in the MLB Draft, was hitting .259/.429/.454 with six home runs, 19 RBIs and eight stolen bases in his first 140 plate appearances at Single-A Fayetteville, where he’s a teammate of the organization’s No. 1 prospect, outfielder Kevin Alvarez.
“It’s been good,” Neyens said. “I’m getting used to the pitching and the lifestyle of going to the field every day, getting there early, getting home late. It took some adjusting to, but after the first couple of weeks went by, it’s been going really well.”
After signing with the Astros last year, Neyens, 19, spent the rest of the season at the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, so this year represents his introduction to the rigors of pro ball. Instead of two games per week in high school, the Woodpeckers play six games per week.
“You just have to take recovery a lot more serious,” he said. “If you have any little tweaks or whatever, you get in the training room and get them treated and make sure you’re ready to go on the field that day.”
Neyens has 30 walks (21.4%) but also 46 strikeouts (32.8%), which isn’t surprising considering the jump in pitching quality from high school ball in Washington state.
“I think I’ve done a pretty good job of adjusting to the pitching, especially left-handed arms, because we don’t see many of those in Washington,” he said. “But I’ve been feeling pretty comfortable in the box recently.”
Sam Niedorf, the Astros’ director of player development, said Neyens leads all of Single-A in average exit velocity. His ability to barrel balls during his pre-Draft work at Daikin Park last year turned heads and solidified the Astros’ decision to take him at No. 21 overall.
COMPLETE ASTROS PROSPECT COVERAGE
“Obviously, the damage output has been high,” Niedorf said. “I think the thing we've been really impressed with is just his ability to control the strike zone. The walk rate being where it is and the punchout rate continuing to lower have been really positives under the hood.
“I think really the thing that's not talked about probably as much with him right now is just the defensive progression on how he's made strides at both short and third. His reaction time’s improved and his probabilities have improved each week, too. Right now, we're really pleased with where he's at from a defensive and offensive standpoint, and [we're] excited for it to continue at the level he’s at.”
Drafted as a shortstop and possessing a big-time arm – he threw 95 mph off the mound as a pitcher – Neyens has started 18 games at third base and nine at shortstop. German Ramirez has been getting most of the reps at shortstop.
“There’s quite a few guys there who’ve earned some shortstop time and reps,” Niedorf said. “He’s played more third in his life, where he’s most comfortable, so slowly integrating shortstop in. I think the value of playing shortstop is you're seeing the game from the driver's seat; you're the captain on the field. If you want to continue to make his game awareness and baseball IQ elevated, that's what shortstop gives him. … Just really happy with the progress at both spots.”
Neyens has been challenged a ton this year, with the jump in pitching levels and playing multiple positions, in addition to the Minor League schedule. But nothing has surprised him so far, and he’s taken all the challenges head-on.
“First off, I just want to stay healthy,” he said. “Just be available at all times, no matter what it is, and continue to get better each day, because tomorrow I could get banged up, get hurt. I just want to compete every time I go out there.”
Here are some other notes from the Astros’ Minor League system:
• Catcher/first baseman Jason Schiavone was promoted to Corpus Christi earlier this week and slugged a homer in his Double-A debut Tuesday against Midland. He hit a homer to right-center to lead off the eighth inning, giving him 18 home runs, which leads the Minor Leagues.
In 35 games at High-A Asheville, Schiavone hit .289 with 17 home runs and a 1.218 OPS. An 11th-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft from James Madison University, he hit .180 last year with six home runs, mostly at Fayetteville.
“I think some previously might have said [he’s] an underrated prospect,” Neidorf said. “That rap has lost him; no longer underrated or undercover. He’s fully on the map of us internally and those nationally. … He plays a premier position, and what gives me the most excitement about Jason is just the diligence, the work ethic, the habits, how he takes care of the pitchers behind the plate. His attention to the pitcher-catcher relationship is quite frankly really elite.”
• The Astros rank near the top in Minor League Baseball in stolen bases this year, which represents a point of emphasis in the system by Niedorf.
“Just being aggressive on the bases and really preparing our players to steal bases,” he said. “That starts with understanding who's on the mound, what the [hold and catcher pop] times are, what the tells are, when we can run, when we should be cautious of running. I'm really proud of the effort in the system right now, how we've pushed the envelope on aggressiveness on the bases, going first to third and second to home.”
• Catcher Walker Janek, who’s been dealing with a hamstring injury, could get into games next week at Corpus Christi, Niedorf said. Janek, who had a .477 OPS through 20 games, has been working out in Florida with assistant hitting coordinator Kyle Brennan.
“He’s trying to get his swing back to where we saw it in Spring Training,” Niedorf said.