Biography:

The Mets spent their 32nd overall pick in the 2023 draft to bring aboard a shortstop named Colin Houck.  The high school infielder boasted tremendous offensive numbers and athleticism that allowed him to perform as a two-sport athlete. He received scholarship offers from a number of serious schools to continue his football career as a quarterback but chose to become a Met and pursue a future in baseball.

Houck is 6’2” and a little taller than typical shortstops but not glaringly so. That being said, the general consensus is that he will shift to third base or second base later in his career. Scouting reports indicated that Houck was a solid all-around hitter with some solid power and that he was a fairly solid value pick at 32.

Resume:

Houck played 9 games for the FCL Mets after being drafted which isn’t enough to judge a player by. His results weren’t bad and the one consistent that could be gleaned was that he has an advanced eye for his age as he was able to walk nearly as much as he was struck out.

Hitting:

Contact:

Scouting suggests that he’s an all-field hitter who makes solid line drive contact. He only hit .241 in his 9-game sample but his on base percentage was over .100 points higher. The scouting suggest he could be closer to a .300 hitter than a .250 one.

Power:

Houck has a scouting profile that suggests home run potential but he’s yet to have an opportunity to prove himself. It’s hard to predict his major league output but an early estimate would place his yearly output under 30.

Speed:

For speed Houck has tremendous physical gifts but, like Brandon Nimmo, he doesn’t seem to be focused on stolen bases. He should steal a few but his speed will more likely display itself in stretch out extra bases and scoring runs once on base.

Fielding:

There are no glaring issues with his defensive scouting and there is a reasonable chance he can stick to shortstop as he rises through the minors. Scouts predict an eventual shift to third base or second but this shift could take place after his major league debut.

Outlook:

The Mets had him down in the FCL in 2023 but there is no reason to hide a top prospect in a short season league beyond year one. The Mets should have Houck assigned as the starting shortstop for Low-A St. Lucie but there is a chance that the Mets want Jeremy Rodriguez in Low A which could push Houck up to Advanced-A Brooklyn.

Comp:

I am working as hard as I can to make my comps for these prospects be former Mets themselves. To that end I think that there is a chance that Houck could offensively look similar to former Met great, Edgardo Alfonzo. Now Fonzie was smaller and never played for the Mets at shortstop but it should be noted that like many top infielders, Alfonzo came into the Mets primarily at the shortstop position.