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Back-to-back NY Mets first-round picks have had a brutal July

A bad month in careers that aren't taking off.
Feb 19, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets catcher Kevin Parada (95) poses for a photo during media day at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Feb 19, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets catcher Kevin Parada (95) poses for a photo during media day at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Carson Benge is in the majors doing his thing. Mitch Voit hasn’t been good or bad this season, hitting 11 home runs while stealing 34 bases for Brooklyn. Before those two New York Mets first round picks, we got a pair of players having a brutal July.

It’s one thing to go into the middle month of the season and slump. Unfortunately for this Mets prospect pairing who came with the hype of being first-round selections, their overall seasons haven’t been good at all.

Mets prospects and first-round picks Colin Houck and Kevin Parada aren’t doing much this month

Colin Houck has a strange distinction of being a first round pick no fan ever really seemed to talk about. The 2023 pick came in a season that evolved into being all about the future. Rather than wondering what he could turn into, everyone was focused on the prospects the Mets acquired at the trade deadline.

Hitting only .139/.262/.306 this month, it’s a black eye on a career that finally showed positive signs last year but has tailed off this season. He’s at .201/.270/.332 on the year. Playing more third base than any other position, he’s not looking like the heir to the hot corner. Houck is only three years removed from being the top Mets draft pick and already he has completely disappeared from every top prospect list for the club you could find.

More well-known and discussed, Kevin Parada actually had hype when the Mets drafted him 11th overall in 2022. The pick awarded to them for failing to sign Kumar Rocker a year earlier, his July features a .190/.300/.238 slash line.

It’s notable for Parada because July marked a return to Double-A where he can’t seem to hit. He’s at .186/.299/.229 on the season. He briefly spent time in Triple-A where, all of a sudden, his bat woke up. In 84 plate appearances for Syracuse, Parada batted .301/.373/.425. What gives?

Parada’s defensive abilities haven’t received rave reviews and the organization values that from their catchers maybe more so than any offensive output. Also a fallen Mets prospect you won’t find on any list, one has to wonder when the Mets just cut bait. He turns 25 on August 3, a day when he should slide further back on the list of the best Mets prospects.

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