Jacob Melton Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

AB	344
AVG	.244
OBP	.338
SLG	.453
HR	18

Full name Jacob William Melton
Born 09/07/2000 in Medford, OR
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 208 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Oregon State
Drafted in the 2nd round (64th overall) by the Houston Astros in 2022 (signed for $1,000,000).

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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.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

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

Scouting Reports

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
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
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.