Here’s a deep dive on Colin Houck, the Mets’ No. 32 picks in the 2023 MLB Draft…
Background
Houck, 18, is a two-sport athlete, as he was a former three-star recruit at quarterback as well as a big-time baseball prospect at the powerhouse Parkview High School in Georgia. They have won three baseball national championships and nine state titles in the last 25 years.
He had turned down offers from SEC schools as a quarterback to fully commit himself to baseball at Mississippi State.
In his senior season at Parkview, he was named the Gatorade Georgia Baseball Player of the Year after producing a .487/.589/.857 line across 40 games.
After his senior campaign, he was considered a consensus top-21 prospect in the 2023 MLB Draft class with some buzz he could sneak into the top 10 picks. MLB Pipeline ranked him 12ththKeith Law at The Athletic ranked him 10thBaseball America ranked him 21stSt and Kiley McDaniel at ESPN ranked him 16th.
Scouting Report
Houck is a very exciting prospect to add to a farm system as most prospects are either bat first or defense first and Houck really is an all-around talent. He may not present day have any true plus tool, but it is above-average across the board.
Given his newfound full commitment to baseball, it is thought there is still a lot of untapped potential in Houck’s toolset.
Once he fully physically matures from his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame, I believe you could see that power becomes a plus tool for him. He has a simple set-up and swing at the plate, utilizing his lower half efficiently that should not need much tinkering in pro ball.
Houck will need to learn to hit to all fields, which comes with time, as right now his power is primarily to the pull side. He already shows a feel to hit and advanced approach at the plate, although he can be susceptible to upstairs fastballs.
He is a solid athlete that should head out into pro ball as a shortstop, but as he grows, he will likely end up a third baseman where he has the actions and plenty of arm to play the position. He is a quality athlete as, heck, you must be to get SEC looks at both football and baseball!
Houck shows above average speed today that some scouts believe may trend a little downward as he physically matures, but he should still be at least an average runner.
Future
Houck’s future is potentially very bright. He will immediately insert himself as one of the top prospects in the Mets’ system after he signs. This is an example of the scouting department doing their due diligence on all players because you never know how the draft will fall.
Not many believed Houck would make it down to No. 32, so despite the drop in their first pick from No. 22 to No. 32, they did not lose value in talent, only in possible bonus pool money.
As he physically matures he has the chance to end up an impact middle-of-the-order bat with 25-home run potential. He should be able to hit for some average and get on base as well.
Defensively, he will likely best translate over to third base long-term and before you worry about Brett BatyHouck is a prospect that is years away from the big leagues.
This is a prime example of simply taking the best available player and not worrying about the big league team’s needs. That is how a scouting department should operate, and the Mets have shown in the last two drafts they are prepared to draft a player if he falls, as they did with Kumar Rocker and Kevin Parada.
Houck is the next example of that, and he has as much talent and potential as anyone in the Mets system currently.