Road to The Show™: Astros’ Melton

Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at top Astros prospect Jacob Melton. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here.

Although the Astros have been willing to dip into their prospect depth to help them maintain success at the big league level, they’ve also shown a keen eye for young players to hang onto.

This year, that player seems to be outfielder Jacob Melton.

Melton, who rose to the top of Houston's prospect rankings when Drew Gilbert was sent to the Mets in the deal for Justin Verlander this summer, showed an impressive combination of power and speed as he advanced from High-A Asheville to Double-A Corpus Christi in his first full professional season. Across both levels, he batted .245/.334/.467 with 23 homers, 55 RBIs, 46 stolen bases and 83 runs scored. Melton was one of only four members of the 20-45 club in the Minors this season.

The 23-year-old has handled professional pitching while continuing to use an unorthodox left-handed swing, complete with a big leg kick. There was some concern from scouts that the unusual swing paired with his aggressive approach would make it difficult for him to barrel up pitches as consistently as he did in college. But he still has terrific bat speed and has shown an ability to drive the ball to all fields while maintaining a reasonable strikeout rate – 22 percent in 2023.

Melton obviously has the speed to impact the game on the bases, but it also helps provide range in center field. He played all three outfield positions this season, with the lion’s share of his reps coming at center.

“The thing that stands out about Melton is the power in the bat,” former Astros scouting director Kris Gross told MLB.com after the Draft. “He can hit them out in all directions. He steals bags. It’s a very enticing physical package with an idea of what he’s doing at the plate, and we’re excited for what he might be able to become.”

The Oregon native didn’t get much national attention as a prep prospect at South Bedford High School in Oregon, though he put together a distinguished career. He was twice named to the First-Team All-State team, including his senior year when he batted .513 with eight homers, 28 RBIs and 33 stolen bases.

Melton began his college career at Linn-Benton Community College in Oregon and was named First-Team All-Northwest Conference and a Gold Glove winner for the 2019 season. Melton batted .365 with 14 doubles, seven triples, three homers, 39 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.

The 6-foot-3, 208-pound slugger moved on to Oregon State University, but his first Division I season came at an inopportune time. Melton played seven games in 2020 before the season was shut down by the pandemic, going 1-for-11 (0.91) at the plate.

Melton earned some national attention, hitting .404 over 32 games in what was supposed to be his first full season. He played all three outfield spots and some first base but had his season cut short by an injury to his non-throwing shoulder.

Everything finally came together for Melton during his junior season in 2022. He won PAC-12 Conference Player of the Year honors and was a First-Team All-American and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy.

Melton batted .360/.424/.670 with 17 homers and 22 stolen bases. He set school records for total bases (175) and RBIs (83). He took over in center field full time for the Beavers and made some swing adjustments that enabled him to not pull as much and use the entire field.

As the 2022 Draft approached, Melton was thought to be a first-round talent. But he slipped to the Astros in the second round and reportedly signed a $1 million bonus, which was slightly below slot value for the 64th overall pick.

Following the Draft, Melton didn’t exactly hit the ground running in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, going 0-for-17 in his first four professional games. But things got much better for Melton as he moved up to Single-A Fayetteville. In 19 games to finish the season, he hit .324 with a 1.001 OPS, four homers, 13 RBIs and four stolen bases.

He entered 2023 as the Astros’ No. 6 prospect and overcame a slow start to put together a strong season in Asheville. Melton batted .195 as he dealt with some back discomfort in April, but he finished with a .244/.338/.453 slash line with 18 homers, 16 doubles, 42 RBI and 41 stolen bases by the time he was promoted in August.

Melton battled a hamstring injury that kept him out of the lineup for nearly two weeks prior to his promotion, but he finished the year strong at Double-A, hitting .250 with an .862 OPS, five homers and 13 RBIs in 13 games.

The Astros reached their sixth consecutive American League Championship Series in 2023 and have won two World Series titles and three pennants in that span. This year's Trade Deadline may have proven that the Astros feel Melton can be the next player destined to follow a path blazed by Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Peña as a homegrown star in Houston.