Mets sign top draft picks Colin Houck, Brandon Sproat
The Mets announced on Monday afternoon that they’ve officially signed first-round pick INF Colin Houck and second-round pick RHP Brandon Sproat to their rookie deals.
Both players will begin their professional careers at the Florida Complex League in Port St. Lucie, FL.
Houck was selected with the No. 32 overall pick. The Georgia native is coming off a season in which he performed well enough to be named the 2022-2023 Georgia Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year.
Houck hit .487 with eight home runs, 50 RBI, 16 stolen bases, and a .587 OPS at Parkview High School. The 18-year-old was committed to play baseball at Mississippi State, but decided to sign with the Mets instead.
“It feels pretty good,” Houck said Friday afternoon at Citi Field. “This is a dream come true for sure.”
Sproat signs with the Mets after being selected by them for the second consecutive year. New York previously selected him in the third-round of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, but he bet on himself and decided to return to the University of Florida.
The right-hander put together a strong season as a fourth-year senior and was a Second Team All-SEC selection. He recorded 134 strikeouts and posted a 4.66 ERA across 106 innings pitched.
"It's funny how the world works. Drafted by the Mets last year and things didn't work out. Went back to school and bet on myself and ended up back here again. Apparently God's got a plan for me here," Sproat said.
"For them to bet on me twice, that says a lot. They obviously see something in me, so I'm ready to get to work and see what they can do."
In addition, the Mets have signed the following players: RHP Austin Troesser (4th round, University of Missouri), RHP Jack Wenninger (6th round, University of Illinois), RHP Noah Hall (7th round, University of South Carolina), INF Boston Baro (8th round, Capistrano Valley HS (CA), INF Nick Lorusso (9th round, University of Maryland) and Catcher Christian Pregent (10th round, Stetson University).
