Colin

Houck

The Mets selected Houck with the 32nd pick in Sunday’s draft, though he was ranked much higher on most prospect lists due to his hit and power tools. The thought was that it would take a nice payday to lure him away from a commitment at Mississippi State, and the Mets managed to get there with a $2.75 million bonus. The projected draft slot was $2,607,500. And so, ultimately the Mets did well despite having to wait to make their first pick of the draft.

A high school shortstop from Georgia, Houck (no relation to the Red Sox right-hander with the same last name) offers excellent power potential and has some chance of lasting in the middle infield, although it’s possible he’ll eventually move to third base. The 18-year-old is committed to Mississippi State and given the fact that he fell to the early second round there could be some concerns about the Mets’ ability to sign him. Since it was their first pick in the draft though, they shouldn’t have a problem going over-slot to get a deal done.