| Jacob Melton | |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros – No. 31 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: (2000-09-07)September 7, 2000 (age 25) Medford, Oregon, U.S. | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 1, 2025, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Batting average | .157 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 7 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| |
Jacob William Melton (born September 7, 2000) is an American professionalbaseballoutfielder for theHouston Astros ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He playedcollege baseball for theOregon State Beavers.
Melton attendedSouth Medford High School where he playedbaseball. In 2017, his junior season, he hit .453 with nine home runs.[1] As a senior in 2018, he batted .513 with eight home runs and 33 stolen bases.[2] He went undrafted in the2018 Major League Baseball draft and enrolled atLinn-Benton Community College.
As a freshman at Linn-Benton in 2019, Melton batted .365 with three home runs, 39 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases over 39 games.[3] That summer, he played in theWestern Canadian Baseball League with theOkotoks Dawgs.[4] He then transferred toOregon State University to start the 2020 season.[5] He appeared in seven games in which he batted .091 with six strikeouts over 11at-bats before the season was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[6] Melton did not open the 2021 season in Oregon State's starting lineup, but eventually became their leadoff hitter, and appeared in 32 games (with 25 starts) before he injured his shoulder in late April, an injury which forced him to having season-ending shoulder surgery.[7] Over those 32 games, he batted .404 with six home runs, 25 RBIs, and eight stolen bases.[8] He returned healthy in 2022 as Oregon State's starting center fielder.[9] Over 63 games played during the season, Melton slashed .360/.424/.671 with 17 home runs, 83 RBIs, 22 doubles, and 21 stolen bases.[10] He was named thePac-12 Conference Baseball Player of the Year.[11]
TheHouston Astros selected Melton in the second round with the 64th overall selection of the2022 Major League Baseball draft.[12] He signed with the team for $1 million.[13]
Melton made his professional debut with the rookie-levelFlorida Complex League Astros and was promoted to theFayetteville Woodpeckers after four games.[14] Over 23 games between both affiliates, he batted .261 with four home runs and 13 RBI.[15] To open the 2023 season, Melton was assigned to theAsheville Tourists.[16] In late August, Melton was promoted to the Double-ACorpus Christi Hooks.[17] Over 99 games, heslashed .245/.334/.467 with 23 home runs, 55 RBI, and 46 stolen bases.[18] Melton was assigned to Corpus Christi to open the 2024 season.[19] In late July, he was promoted to the Triple-ASugar Land Space Cowboys. Over 105 games between the two affiliates, Melton batted .253 with 15 home runs, 54 RBI, and thirty stolen bases.[20]
Melton began the 2025 season with Triple-A Sugar Land, playing in 17 games and hitting .254 with two home runs, seven RBI, and three stolen bases. On June 1,2025, Melton was selected to the40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[21] He made his major league debut that day, starting in center field atDaikin Park, and went 1-for-3 versus theTampa Bay Rays. He legged out an infield single versusTaj Bradley in the fifth inning for his first major league hit.[22]