Oregon State outfielder agrees to $1 million deal with Houston
All Medford’s Jacob Melton wanted was a chance to be a professional baseball player, and the Houston Astros provided it just over a week ago when they selected him 64th overall in the major league draft.
That opportunity became more of a reality Tuesday when the Oregon State outfielder officially signed with the Astros, avoiding an expected final season with the Beavers for the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year.
Melton and first-round pick Drew Gilbert (28th overall) were each in Houston on Tuesday after reaching a deal on Monday, touring their future ballpark at Minute Maid Park and taking some promotional photos as they signed the your offers
Both center fielders signed for slightly below their slot value, with Melton signing for $1 million (the value of the 64 slot was $1,104,100) and Gilbert signing for $2.5 million dollars (the value of space 28 equaled $2,621,700).
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to play for such a great organization that does such a good job with player development,” Melton said after being drafted on July 17. “I think, honestly, I was very lucky to go where I did.”
A 2018 graduate of South Medford High, Melton became the highest local draft pick since former North Medford High pitcher Braden Shipley was taken 15th overall in 2013 by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Interestingly, Melton was listed at No. 39 on MLB.com’s list of the top 250 draft prospects heading into the draft, and Gilbert was at No. 32.
The 21-year-old Melton, who can also play first base or a corner outfield spot, is coming off a prolific campaign that saw him hit .360 with 17 home runs and 21 stolen bases for the Beavers. Melton also set an OSU single-season record with 175 total bases, and the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder tied the school record 83 RBI set by Adley Rutschman (2018).
Melton and left-handed pitcher Cooper Hjerpe, who was selected 22nd overall by the St. Louis Cardinals and signed shortly after, becoming the fifth and sixth unanimous first-team All-Americans in Oregon State history in 2022.
In 102 games played at Oregon State over three seasons, including a 2020 campaign shortened by COVID, Melton batted .364 overall with 27 doubles, seven triples, 23 home runs and 108 RBIs with 29 stolen bases. His .660 slugging percentage is now the program standard.
Prior to joining Oregon State, Melton twice earned first-team all-state honors at South Medford before earning first-team all-NWAC South Region recognition and the Gold Glove recognition at Linn-Benton Community College.
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Medford’s Jacob Melton signed with the Houston Astros on Tuesday after being selected 64th overall in the 2022 MLB draft on July 17. Photos courtesy of the Houston Astros organization
