Mock Drafts Have Reached a Consensus on D-backs Top Pick

The 2023 MLB Draft starts exactly one month from today, with the Diamondbacks holding three of the first 64 selections. This year's class projects to be one of the deepest in the first round, allowing Arizona to take a potential blue chip talent with the 12th overall selection.

Even though we're a month out from the draft, there seems to be a consensus already on who the D-backs might take with their top pick. Mock drafts recently published on Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and The Athletic all have Arizona taking Atlanta area infielder Colin Houck with the 12th overall pick.

Here's what MLB Pipeline had to say about their mock draft selection:

12. D-backs: Colin Houck, SS, Parkview HS, Lilburn, Ga. The D-backs certainly don’t shy away from taking high school bats (Druw Jones, Jordan Lawlar, Corbin Carroll) at the top, so why should this year be any different? This is another player-team connection that seems pretty tight right now.

Houck is a two-sport star, as both the starting quarterback and shortstop at Parkview High School in Lilburn, Georgia. He's committed to play baseball for Mississippi State, although as a likely Top 15 pick he's going pro instead of honoring the commitment. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the 14th best prospect in the draft while Baseball America and the Athletic rank him at 21st and 11th respectively.

Houck has very simple mechanics in the box, showing above-average to plus raw power out of a compact stroke. He profiles better for third base long term as he adds another 5-10 pounds of muscle to his 6'2" 190 frame. There is some swing-and-miss in his game presently but he utilizes the entire field in his approach, which the D-backs value.

Arizona has taken prep bats with their first round pick in three of their last four drafts between Corbin Carroll, Jordan Lawlar, and Druw Jones. We've already seen what type of impact that Carroll has provided the D-backs this season, a big reason behind their 37-25 start. Lawlar and Jones occupy two of the top three spots in the midseason Top 30 Prospects List. Houck very much fits their type, an up-the-middle type defender with a more advanced approach, underlying power, and an athletic defender.