Despite having just turned 19 in October, Xavier Neyens fit right in with the rest of the Astros’ top prospects in January during an offseason camp in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The 21st overall draft pick last year drew raves from Astros GM Dana Brown and Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, a special assistant to owner Jim Crane who served as a guest instructor.
“He’s an impressive kid,” Bagwell said of Neyens, a product of Mount Vernon (Wash.) High . “He looks and acts like a professional, at a very young age, and he has great tools.”
Brown smiled somewhat proudly as he discussed Neyens’ showing at the club’s minicamp for prospects.
“He could hit the ball just as far as all of those guys,” Brown said. “I can say it’s lefthanded power, which is more intriguing. He fit right in—not timid, aggressive, having good baseball conversations, jelling well with the team.”
The Astros aren’t represented on the preseason Top 100 Prospects, but Neyens is the top candidate to make the list at some point.
“I just saw him in early camp,” Brown said. “He’s a guy we think can play on the left side of the infield, most likely third base. He’s got big lefthanded power, and he’s a big dude with really good makeup.
“He loves the game, and he seems to be dialed in from what I saw last week . . . down in camp.”
As with most power hitters, Neyens faces some questions about his ability to both make contact and hit for power.
The Astros rave about his makeup and intangibles. Neyens appears to ask the right questions. Now, it’s a matter of competing in spring training to give the organization an indication where he should start in 2026.
“He’s young,” Brown said of Neyens. “It’s hard to say (where he’ll be assigned). We got to let him come into camp, see what he looks like, see what kind of adjustments he made.”