Houston Astros select power-hitting shortstop Xavier Neyens at No. 21 in 2025 MLB Draft

The 2025 MLB draft started on Sunday, July 13th ahead of the much anticipated All-Star festivities. The Houston Astros managed to pick Mount Vernon High School star Xavier Neyens with the No.21 pick.

Houston Astros select Xavier Neyens in MLB Draft

The Houston Astros had laid eyes on the young infielder since last season and he was present at the Daikin Park for a pre-draft workout in front of the general manager Dana Brown.

He put on a show, Astros scouting director Cam Pendino said. He did his thing. It was pretty impressive what he was able to do, and we were fired up to get him.

According to MLB Pipeline, the 18-year-old came into the draft as 25th ranked prospect and 10th ranked high school player. He is with Oregon State and his value as a power hitter rose when he helped Mount Vernon to lift their third title this year.

He hits balls that I didn’t think could ever travel as far as they do, Mount Vernon coach Tony Wolden said. It’s amazing to see the ball come off his bat.

Neyens finished the season batting .456 with eight home runs, 10 doubles, 27 RBIs and 49 runs in the 28 games that he played. Being one of the most powerful bats in the class, Neyens dropped to No.21 (will go to No.8 in the mock drafts) because of his swing and miss rate.

'We see that as a strong potential': Astros on Xavier Neyens

Xavier Neyens is the first position player out of high school to be drafted by the Houston Astros in the last 10 years. The Astros have previously picked shortstops in the first round including Carlos Correa (2012), Alex Bregman (2015) and Brice Matthews (2023). Neyens could be used as a third baseman by the Astros.

We see that as a strong potential there, but if not, third base would be an obvious fallback. We think he could be a really, really good third baseman because of the actions in the arm, Pendino said. We’re giving him every chance to stick at shortstop until he proves us wrong. We think he is a shortstop, and we’re excited about that.

While his power hitting ability makes him as an offensive threat, he has also played as a closer for the Bulldogs. His fastballs can go as high as 95 mph, according to MLB Pipeline.