Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55

One of the better two-sport prospects in the 2023 high school crop, Houck is a three-star quarterback recruit who passed for 2,189 yards and 24 touchdowns as a Parkview HS (Lilburn, Ga.) senior. He turned down football offers from Power 5 programs to commit to Mississippi State for baseball, though he's unlikely to get to Starkville as a projected first-round pick in July. He's the latest phenom out of Parkview, which has won three national championships and nine state titles in the last 25 years, while producing four big league hitters, most notably Matt Olson. 

Houck's combination of strength and bat speed give him plus raw power, and the right-handed hitter already shows a propensity for driving balls in the air to his pull side. He does swing and miss and chase pitches more than is ideal at times, though there's optimism that he can improve as a hitter once he concentrates solely on baseball. He has looked more consistent at the plate this spring and does use the entire ballpark, though most of his pop goes to left field. 

Gatorade's Georgia state player of the year, Houck can flash solid speed but projects as an average runner once he fills out his 6-foot-2 frame. Though he's more physical than twitchy, his plus arm and outstanding body control give him a chance to be a big-bodied shortstop. At worst, he'll move to third base and could be a plus defender while fitting the offensive profile there.

Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

While at Parkview (Liburn, Ga.) HS – the school that produced Matt Olson and Jeff Francoeur – Houck threw for 2,189 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior quarterback and was also named Gatorade’s Georgia Player of the Year for his work on the diamond. He turned down Power 5 football offers to commit to Mississippi State only to go 32nd overall in the Draft to the Mets. New York signed Houck for just above slot at $2.75 million and sent him to the Florida Complex League, where he went 7-for-29 (.241) in nine games. 

Batting from the right side, the 6-foot-2 Houck has had a flummoxing first full season at the plate with Single-A St. Lucie. He's looked passive at the plate at times, even with two strikes leading to a ton of strikeouts looking, and his contact rate against pitches in the zone is general has been rough. He's especially struggled against non-fastballs as he's dug in against pro pitchers over an extended amount of time. His exit velocities when he has managed to make contact have been average at least, which is more in line with his pre-Draft scouting report.

Houck has at least average speed, and he has the body control and obvious arm strength to handle plays at shortstop. Some project him to trend more toward third base as he matures, but there will be added pressure on the bat should he need to move to the corner. Houck will seek to rebound, likely back in the Florida State League, in 2025.

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

One of the better two-sport prospects in the 2023 high school crop, Houck was a three-star quarterback recruit who passed for 2,189 yards and 24 touchdowns as a Parkview HS (Lilburn, Ga.) senior. He turned down football offers from Power 5 programs to commit to Mississippi State for baseball. He's the latest phenom out of Parkview, which has won three national championships and nine state titles in the last 25 years, while producing four big league hitters, most notably Matt Olson. After MLB Pipeline’s No. 12 Draft prospect slipped some in the Draft, the Mets were happy to snag him with the 32nd overall pick and sign him for $2.75 million.

Houck's combination of strength and bat speed give him plus raw power, and the right-handed hitter already shows a propensity for driving balls in the air to his pull side. He does swing and miss and chase pitches more than is ideal at times, though there's optimism that he can improve as a hitter once he concentrates solely on baseball. He looked more consistent at the plate this spring and does use the entire ballpark, though most of his pop goes to left field. 

Gatorade's Georgia state player of the year, Houck can flash solid speed but projects as an average runner once he fills out his 6-foot-2 frame. Though he's more physical than twitchy, his plus arm and outstanding body control give him a chance to be a big-bodied shortstop. At worst, he'll move to third base and could be a plus defender while fitting the offensive profile there.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/31/2024	SS Colin Houck assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.
	03/07/2024	New York Mets Prospects activated SS Colin Houck.
	08/04/2023	SS Colin Houck assigned to FCL Mets.
	07/14/2023	New York Mets signed SS Colin Houck.
	06/02/2023	College Workout activated SS Colin Houck.
	06/02/2023	SS Colin Houck assigned to College Workout.
	05/22/2023	SS Colin Houck assigned to College Workout.
	05/13/2023	SS Colin Houck, , and assigned to High School Workout.
	07/16/2022	High School Workout activated SS Colin Houck.
	07/16/2022	High School Workout activated SS Colin Houck.
	07/16/2022	SS Colin Houck assigned to High School Workout.