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NY Post
New York Post
15 Jul 2023


NextImg:Mets draftees Colin Houck, Brandon Sproat, Boston Baro get their first taste of New York

Three new faces greeted Citi Field and New York City for the first time on Friday night before the Mets opened the second half of their season against the Dodgers.

Mets draft picks Colin Houck (first round), Brandon Sproat (second round) and Boston Baro (eighth round) came onto the field during batting practice, with their families dressed in orange, blue and white, while sporting their respective jerseys. 

“It’s a dream come true. It’s pretty awesome,” Houck, a high school shortstop, said of how it feels to be a professional baseball player. “To finally accomplish [the dream], it’s a blessing.”

Sproat said he’s finally feeling settled in after the Mets failed to sign him as a third-round pick last year.

He returned to pitch for the University of Florida for another season, posting a 4.66 ERA with 134 strikeouts in 106 ¹/₃ innings and helping the Gators reach the College World Series championship against LSU.

“It’s funny how the world works. Yeah, I mean, drafted last year by the Mets and then things didn’t work out, and I’m not gonna get into the details about that,” Sproat said. “I bet on myself and I’m back here again. So, apparently God’s got a plan for me here so we’ll see what that is.

Mets 2023 draft picks (L-R) Colin Houck, Brandon Sproat (C) and Boston Baro pose for a photograph.
Getty Images

    “For them to bet on me twice, it says a lot.”

    In their first trip to the Big Apple, the three draftees walked through Times Square and grabbed a New York pizza slice.

    “Pizza was the first meal I had here, I had to get a New York slice. That was something my family and I went to Time Square yesterday [to do],” said Houck, who added he failed to remember where he got it from and followed up with “you can’t go wrong.”

    Baro, meanwhile, has already struck gold.

    Mets take high-school shortstop Colin Houck in 2023 MLB Draft’s first round
    The Mets took Houck in the first round of the 2023 draft.
    Twitter / Colin Houck

    “I’ve been to Joe’s Pizza three times,” Baro, a shortstop from Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, Calif., admitted with a laugh.

    “Walked through Times Square, ate a bunch of pizza and Italian food. It’s the best food I’ve had in a really long time.”