- Full name Xavier Neyens
- Born 10/29/2006 in
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: L / Throws: R
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Drafted in the 1st round (21st overall) by the Houston Astros in 2025 (signed for $4,120,000).
View Draft Report
School: Mount Vernon (Wash.) HS Drafted/Committed: Oregon State
Age At Draft: 18.7
BA Grade: 55/Extreme
Neyens is a classic lefthanded slugger with some of the best raw power in the 2025 class. A 6-foot-4, 205-pound shortstop, Neyens has tons of physicality and strength now, with a frame that has plenty of room for more in the future. He has a relaxed, upright stance in the batter’s box before taking a standard leg kick and stride with his lower half and a typical load with his hands. Neyens then fires his hands through the zone with plenty of intent and leverage. He has at least plus raw power now and should develop 70-grade juice at physical maturity, with a bat path that is already geared to elevate the baseball and do plenty of damage to all fields. Neyens is a patient hitter who has solid balance in the box and will let the ball travel, with more than enough strength to homer to the opposite field. Neyens has a power-over-hit profile and is borderline passive at times and also has some real swing-and-miss questions. His eye allows him to draw plenty of walks, but some scouts would like to see him capitalize more in positive count situations to take advantage o/f his considerable power. A shortstop now, Neyens is a fringe-average runner who fits better on a corner at the next level. His plus arm would fit nicely at the hot corner, and some scouts see the tools for above-average defense. Neyens is also a talented high school pitcher with a fastball up to 93 mph. He’s an Oregon State commit but should be a first-rounder thanks to his huge power and batting eye.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 65 | Run:45 | Field: 50 | Arm: 60.
Top Rankings
Draft Prospects
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School: Mount Vernon (Wash.) HS Drafted/Committed: Oregon State
Age At Draft: 18.7
BA Grade: 55/Extreme
Neyens is a classic lefthanded slugger with some of the best raw power in the 2025 class. A 6-foot-4, 205-pound shortstop, Neyens has tons of physicality and strength now, with a frame that has plenty of room for more in the future. He has a relaxed, upright stance in the batter’s box before taking a standard leg kick and stride with his lower half and a typical load with his hands. Neyens then fires his hands through the zone with plenty of intent and leverage. He has at least plus raw power now and should develop 70-grade juice at physical maturity, with a bat path that is already geared to elevate the baseball and do plenty of damage to all fields. Neyens is a patient hitter who has solid balance in the box and will let the ball travel, with more than enough strength to homer to the opposite field. Neyens has a power-over-hit profile and is borderline passive at times and also has some real swing-and-miss questions. His eye allows him to draw plenty of walks, but some scouts would like to see him capitalize more in positive count situations to take advantage o/f his considerable power. A shortstop now, Neyens is a fringe-average runner who fits better on a corner at the next level. His plus arm would fit nicely at the hot corner, and some scouts see the tools for above-average defense. Neyens is also a talented high school pitcher with a fastball up to 93 mph. He’s an Oregon State commit but should be a first-rounder thanks to his huge power and batting eye.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 65 | Run:45 | Field: 50 | Arm: 60. -
School: Mount Vernon (Wash.) HS Committed: Oregon State
Age At Draft: 18.7
Neyens is a strong, physical slugger with some of the best raw power in the 2025 class. His lefthanded swing has leverage to lift the ball to all fields and he packs a huge punch when he connects. He flashes plus raw power now, with bat speed and strength projection still to come with his 6-foot-4 frame—enough that he could have 70 power in his prime. He has good balance, lets the ball travel and can hammer pitches on the outer third with impact the opposite way. Neyens’ power does come with swing-and-miss, with some vulnerability against offspeed stuff, but he’s also a patient hitter who will take his walks to help him get on base. A tick below-average runner, Neyens is a third baseman with a strong arm and good hands. At his size, there’s some risk he could outgrow the position and head to an outfield corner, but he has done a good job with his conditioning and agility and has a good chance to stick at third base. While Neyens’ future as a hitter is most exciting, he’s a two-way player who has been up to 93 mph on the mound and got a lot of swing-and-miss last summer on his slider.
