Jacob Melton

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #1 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/High
  
  Track Record: Melton spent one season at Linn-Benton (Ore.) JC before transferring to Oregon State as a sophomore. His first taste of Division I competition in 2020 was cut short after seven games due to the pandemic. Melton appeared to break out the following season, hitting .404/.466/.697 in 32 games, but a shoulder injury cut his season short in April and he went undrafted. In his third season at OSU in 2022, he hit .360/.424/.671 with 17 home runs in 63 games. That season, he was selected as a first-team All-American and won the Pacific-12 Conference player of the year award. The Astros drafted Melton in the second round in 2022 and signed him for an under-slot $1 million. He began his first full season in 2023 with High-A Asheville, reaching Double-A by August. Melton spent 2024 at Double-A Corpus Christi, where he started 58 games, and Triple-A Sugar Land. He had a solid but unspectacular season, hitting .253/.310/.426. He saw time at all three outfield positions but played center field primarily. Melton’s home/road splits were unusual in 2024, in that he hit 12 of his 15 home runs on the road with an OPS more than 200 points higher than at home.
  
  Scouting Report: Melton is an athletic outfielder with average or better tools across the board and a sneaky power-speed combination. At 6-foot-2, 208 pounds, he has little to no projection remaining in his frame. Melton sets up at the plate slightly open, employing a moderate leg kick and busy hands as he moves into his load. He has above-average bat-to-ball skills, showing the ability to hit fastballs and breaking pitches of all types. Melton struggles against changeups and splitters in large part because of his fairly aggressive approach at the plate. He’s prone to expanding the zone at a rate slightly higher than average but avoids passivity without being overly swing happy. Melton’s raw power is above-average, but his batted-ball angles are fairly poor, leading to a higher rate of groundball contact than his high-end exit velocities—including a max of 113.6 mph—would suggest. Slight improvements in this area could yield better results in the future. The lefthanded-hitting Melton also struggles to hit the ball in the air to his pull side, with a majority of his airborne contact going to the opposite field. Melton is a plus runner who can stretch extra-base hits, steal bases at a high rate and handle center field. He’s an above-average defender in center and is plus on the corners. Melton’s arm is merely average, but he does a good job getting the ball back into the infield.
  
  The Future: Melton is a well-rounded player who should be an average offensive performer with above-average outfield defense. He can increase his overall offensive production with improved bat angles and swing decisions. He likely will return to Triple-A Sugar Land to begin the season with a chance to debut for the Astros later in 2025.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Field: 55 | Arm: 50.
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #1 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: After one season at Linn-Benton (Ore.) JC, Melton transferred to Oregon State prior to the 2020 season. He appeared in just seven games before the Covid-19 pandemic canceled the season. Melton worked his way into the starting lineup in 2021, hitting .404/.466/.697 in 32 games. An April shoulder injury ended his season, and Melton went undrafted in 2021 despite being eligible. He returned to Oregon State in 2022 and hit .360/.424/.671 with 17 home runs in 63 games on his way to first-team All-America honors and the Pacific-12 Conference player of the year award. The Astros drafted Melton 64th overall in 2022 and signed him for an under-slot bonus of $1 million. He finished his pro debut with 19 games at Low-A Fayetteville. He began 2023 with High-A Asheville and hit .244/.338/.454 with 18 home runs and 41 stolen bases. He reached Double-A Corpus Christi in late August, hitting five home runs over 13 games. Melton’s production varied from month to month. He produced a strong May, July and September and down months in April, June and August. He also had stark home-road splits, surely taking advantage of the friendly confines of Asheville’s McCormick Field.
  
  Scouting Report: Melton is an athletic outfielder with a highly unusual swing and an enticing power-speed combination. At the plate, he sets up open before a big leg kick closes his front side. His swing is rhythmic despite the moving parts, though a slight coil with a late hitch introduces concerns about timing issues versus good major league pitching. He can be beaten with high fastballs and has coverage issues on the outer half of the plate. Melton has fringe-average bat-to-ball skills, but his approach balances aggression and patience well. He rarely misses hittable pitches. Melton’s raw power is above-average to plus, and he’s gotten to it consistently over the last few seasons. His underlying exit velocity numbers are above the MLB average, with a 106.4 mph 90th percentile exit velocity. Melton hit 23 home runs in 2023 and shows the ability to hit his best-struck drives in the air to his pull side with consistency. He is an above-average to plus straight-line runner who finds another gear when underway. His speed is an asset in the field and a dangerous weapon when on base. He stole 46 bases in 53 attempts in 2023. Melton is an average defender in center field and could develop into an above-average corner outfielder. His arm is average and capable of making the needed throws. Melton is a well-rounded, tooled-up player with an unusual swing.
  
  The Future: Melton has the tools to develop into an average everyday outfielder capable of above-average offensive seasons. His power-speed combination makes him among the most exciting players in the Astros system.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #4 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Melton split time between first base and right field for Oregon State in 2021 but took over in center field in 2022 and hit .360/.424/.671 with 17 home runs. He was first-team All-America and Pacific-12 Conference player of the year in addition to being a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. The Astros selected Melton with the 64th overall pick in the second round and signed him for an under-slot bonus of $1 million. He reached Low-A Fayetteville in his debut and hit .324/.424/.577 with four home runs in 19 games.
  
  Scouting Report: A tooled-up and athletic player, Melton's advanced hitting abilities are deceptive because of his unusual setup and move at the plate. He has a tall, strong frame that is fairly close to maxed out, but he should maintain a high level of fitness and twitch deep into his 20s. At the plate, he sets up open with a wide-based stance. He begins his move with a high leg kick and a dip in his hand positioning before his load. His swing has a clean, whippy path that is adept at catching balls in the middle of the zone and balls in the lower quadrants. While Melton's pure bat-to-ball skills are fringe-average, he shows the ability to work deep counts. His power plays to all fields, with some of his hardest-hit balls often shooting to the left-center field gap. Melton's exit velocities highlight his above-average power, with a 105.4 mph 90th percentile exit velocity in his pro debut. His plus straight-line speed allows him to leg out infield hits and turn singles into doubles. In the outfield, Melton covers ground and gets good jumps in center field. He has an average arm that fits in any of the three outfield spots.
  
  The Future: As a toolsy player with an above-average offensive game capable of handling center field, Melton projects as an average everyday regular.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 45. Power: 55. Speed: 60. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #25 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Oregon State Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21.9
  BA Grade: 50/High
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
  An All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2021 after slashing .404/.466/.697 with six home runs, Melton has continued to produce at a high level during his 2022 draft year while moving from first base and right field to the everyday center field role for the Beavers. A 6-foot-3, 208-pound lefthanded hitter, Melton hit .371/.435/.684 over his first 57 games, with 15 home runs and 21 doubles, while going 20-for-21 (95.2%) in stolen base attempts. Melton’s production is prettier than his swing, which is described as “unorthodox” and features plenty of moving parts. He starts with an open stance and features a leg kick in his load, with a long load that includes a barrel dump on the back half and an arm bar. Despite those mechanics, Melton has plenty of bat speed and the athleticism to make it work. While his bat path might not be ideal, his barrel stays in the zone for a long time and he has the strength to drive the ball with authority, with a frame that suggests more could be coming. Melton will expand the zone at times and there’s some swing and miss—particularly against breaking balls and offspeed pitches—but he has hammered fastballs, produced against 93-plus mph velocity and displayed all-fields home run power. Some scouts have given him plus raw power grades. Melton has turned in 70-grade run times from home to first and is a plus runner consistently who should be able to stick in center field, with an average throwing arm. While Melton is a bit on the older end for the college class (he turns 22 in September), his power-speed tool set, Pac-12 production and lefthanded-hitting center field profile will check plenty of boxes for teams and he has a chance to be selected at the back of the first round and shouldn’t get out of the second.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Melton split time between first base and right field for Oregon State in 2021 but took over in center field in 2022 and hit .360/.424/.671 with 17 home runs. He was first-team All-America and Pacific-12 Conference player of the year in addition to being a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. The Astros selected Melton with the 64th overall pick in the second round and signed him for an under-slot bonus of $1 million. He reached Low-A Fayetteville in his debut and hit .324/.424/.577 with four home runs in 19 games.
  
  Scouting Report: A tooled-up and athletic player, Melton's advanced hitting abilities are deceptive because of his unusual setup and move at the plate. He has a tall, strong frame that is fairly close to maxed out, but he should maintain a high level of fitness and twitch deep into his 20s. At the plate, he sets up open with a wide-based stance. He begins his move with a high leg kick and a dip in his hand positioning before his load. His swing has a clean, whippy path that is adept at catching balls in the middle of the zone and balls in the lower quadrants. While Melton's pure bat-to-ball skills are fringe-average, he shows the ability to work deep counts. His power plays to all fields, with some of his hardest-hit balls often shooting to the left-center field gap. Melton's exit velocities highlight his above-average power, with a 105.4 mph 90th percentile exit velocity in his pro debut. His plus straight-line speed allows him to leg out infield hits and turn singles into doubles. In the outfield, Melton covers ground and gets good jumps in center field. He has an average arm that fits in any of the three outfield spots.
  
  The Future: As a toolsy player with an above-average offensive game capable of handling center field, Melton projects as an average everyday regular.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 45. Power: 55. Speed: 60. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Melton split time between first base and right field for Oregon State in 2021 but took over in center field in 2022 and hit .360/.424/.671 with 17 home runs. He was first-team All-America and Pacific-12 Conference player of the year in addition to being a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. The Astros selected Melton with the 64th overall pick in the second round and signed him for an under-slot bonus of $1 million. He reached Low-A Fayetteville in his debut and hit .324/.424/.577 with four home runs in 19 games.
  
  Scouting Report: A tooled-up and athletic player, Melton's advanced hitting abilities are deceptive because of his unusual setup and move at the plate. He has a tall, strong frame that is fairly close to maxed out, but he should maintain a high level of fitness and twitch deep into his 20s. At the plate, he sets up open with a wide-based stance. He begins his move with a high leg kick and a dip in his hand positioning before his load. His swing has a clean, whippy path that is adept at catching balls in the middle of the zone and balls in the lower quadrants. While Melton's pure bat-to-ball skills are fringe-average, he shows the ability to work deep counts. His power plays to all fields, with some of his hardest-hit balls often shooting to the left-center field gap. Melton's exit velocities highlight his above-average power, with a 105.4 mph 90th percentile exit velocity in his pro debut. His plus straight-line speed allows him to leg out infield hits and turn singles into doubles. In the outfield, Melton covers ground and gets good jumps in center field. He has an average arm that fits in any of the three outfield spots.
  
  The Future: As a toolsy player with an above-average offensive game capable of handling center field, Melton projects as an average everyday regular.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 45. Power: 55. Speed: 60. Fielding: 50. Arm: 50
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  August Update: An All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2021 after slashing .404/.466/.697 with six home runs, Melton has continued to produce at a high level during his 2022 draft year while moving from first base and right field to the everyday center field role for the Beavers. A 6-foot-3, 208-pound lefthanded hitter, Melton hit .371/.435/.684 over his first 57 games, with 15 home runs and 21 doubles, while going 20-for-21 (95.2%) in stolen base attempts. Melton&#39s production is prettier than his swing, which is described as “unorthodox” and features plenty of moving parts. He starts with an open stance and features a leg kick in his load, with a long load that includes a barrel dump on the back half and an arm bar. Despite those mechanics, Melton has plenty of bat speed and the athleticism to make it work. While his bat path might not be ideal, his barrel stays in the zone for a long time and he has the strength to drive the ball with authority, with a frame that suggests more could be coming. Melton will expand the zone at times and there&#39s some swing and miss—particularly against breaking balls and offspeed pitches—but he has hammered fastballs, produced against 93-plus mph velocity and displayed all-fields home run power. Some scouts have given him plus raw power grades. Melton has turned in 70-grade run times from home to first and is a plus runner consistently who should be able to stick in center field, with an average throwing arm. While Melton is a bit on the older end for the college class (he turns 22 in September), his power-speed tool set, Pac-12 production and lefthanded-hitting center field profile checks plenty of boxes for the Astros. Melton signed for $1,000,000 after being selected with the 64th overall pick in the second round.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 55. Run: 60. Field: 50. Arm: 50.