Missouri Baseball: Tanner Houck selected in first round of MLB Draft
On Monday night, former Missouri Tigers pitcher Tanner Houck was the No. 24 selection by the Boston Red Sox in the MLB Draft.
Originally drafted in the 12th round by the Toronto Blue Jays out of high school, Houck was named the consensus All-American freshman in 2015.
"Coming out of high school, I knew – or at least thought – that I was a lot better than the 12th round. That’s the main reason I went to the University of Missouri, to have a moment like this, to continue to better myself and get some experience under my belt. I ended up becoming a first-round pick."
In three seasons at Missouri, Houck tallied 292 strikeouts, pitched 300 innings, and recorded a 3.26 ERA, with an 18-17 record.
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Houck became the fourth Missouri Tiger to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft. He joins other MLB big names Max Scherzer, Aaron Crow, and Kyle Gibson. He was also one-of-seven SEC players taken in the first round.
"I need to work on tightening up the slider, really developing the changeup, really making sure it’s kind of a next-level swing-and-miss pitch for me."
While fans will be eager to see Houck take his place on the national stage, it might not be for at least a season, since he will be assigned to Boston’s farm team, to fine-tune his development.
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Houck’s presence in Missouri’s bullpen will be missed in 2017-18, but the future still looks bright for Mizzou, and the Tigers seem to be a team on the brink of taking the next step.