Early grades for the last 5 Mets first-round draft picks

The New York Mets pick 19th in this year’s MLB Draft. Do they end up with the next Roger Clemens, the 19th overall pick from 1983, or a Larry Hutton? Hutton was taken 19th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1966 and never reached the majors.

The Mets have had the 19th overall pick twice before. Both players were coincidentally traded away in controversial deals. For the sake of the farm system, we’ll hope for different results this time around.

Looking back at the last five Mets first-round draft picks, what grades do these picks deserve?

2023 – Colin Houck, C-

It has been a tremendously slow start for the 2023 New York Mets first-round pick, Colin Houck. The 19-year-old shortstop played in just 9 games last season and has been searching for consistency in the minors this season. He gets a C- grade which might be a little generous for the numbers he has produced.

Houck is barely hitting over .200 this season and has struck out in more than 30% of his plate appearances. This isn’t the roaring start the Mets were hoping for when they took him in last year’s draft. This is barely a purr.

Drafting another shortstop doesn’t deserve the kind of eye roll some fans may immediately give. It’s usually shortstops who end up playing second base or third base anyway.

The Mets were unable to get this pick in until the 32nd overall selection due to the punishments which came with actually paying players and going over the luxury tax. The verdict has yet to come in on Houck. So far, so average.