The Mets selected shortstop Colin Houck with the No. 32 picks in the 2023 MLB Draft during the Competitive Balance Round A.
“I couldn’t be more excited that the Mets picked me up,” Houck said Sunday night via Zoom. “Growing up this was my dream so to finally have this opportunity is really amazing and I’m blessed.”
Houck, 18, is listed at 6-foot-2, 193-pounds out of Parkview High School in Georgia. The right-handed hitter is committed to Mississippi State University and was ranked as the No. 12 overall prospect in the draft by MLB.com.
Houck says the decision between signing with the Mets and forgoing his commitment to Mississippi State will be a tough one, but he’s “always dreamed of going to pro ball out of high school.”
“With the opportunity that the Mets have given me, it’s going to be something that I have to take into account for sure. It’s a win-win either way but I do think there are benefits to getting in the system earlier with pro ball. “
During his senior year, Houck was named the 2022-2023 Gatorade Georgia Baseball Player of the Year after hitting .487 with eight home runs, 50 RBI, and 56 runs scored.
He was also rated as a three-star quarterback recruit and passed for 2,189 yards with 24 touchdowns during his senior season. He held offers from Arkansas and Georgia Tech among other Division 1 programs, but elected to commit to Miss. St. for baseball.
The Georgia-native admitted he did grow up a fan of the division-rival Braves, but with the Mets picking him things have changed.
“That’s obviously not the case anymore,” he said. “I’m going to be rooting for the Mets and that’s how it is now.”
New York will pick again Sunday night in the second round at pick No. 56. They have a total of 23 draft picks, including two third-rounders and three fourth-rounders.
Joe’s Reaction
Houck was ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the class by MLB Pipeline and the No. 21 prospects by Baseball America. While there is an organizational need for pitching, there are plenty of other picks to select pitchers. This is a spot where the Mets selected the best available talent.
Houck is a two-sport athlete who was a three-star recruit as a quarterback, but now is focused solely on baseball. He shows above average tools across the board, and given he is no longer splitting his time between football and baseball there is belief that there is even more potential than the current toolset.
He will fill out his 6-foot-2 190 pound frame through natural maturation and that could turn his above average power into plus power. Defensively he may be able to stick at shortstop, but if he outgrows the position he could potentially be a plus third baseman. He should rank highly in the Mets system immediately.