The Wake Forest shortstop makes his way to Minneapolis.
The Twins continued their run on first round college hitters in recent years by going with Wake Forest shortstop Marek Houston. Houston was projected to go in this range, meaning the Twins will probably sign him for around slot value when all is said and done.
Houston profiles as a high floor prospect with a strong glove and contact skills, but lacking in the power department. It’s a similar profile to recent first round picks Kaelen Culpepper and Brooks Lee, as well as current Twins rookie Luke Keaschall. All three of those players saw their stocks skyrocket after a couple seasons in the Twins’ system thanks to that power development, so we’ll see if they can achieve the same with Houston.
Houston hit .354/.458/.597 in his junior season for the Demon Deacons, adding 15 homers and 19 stolen bases with an even 46:46 strikeout to walk ratio. You can see MLB Pipeline’s breakdown of the Twins’ newest prospect below.
MLB Pipeline Scouting Report (#15 ranked prospect):
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55
Houston wasn’t a high-profile recruit but won Wake Forest’s shortstop role as a freshman in 2023 and helped the Demon Deacons finish third at the Men’s College World Series. A Cape Cod League All-Star last summer, he has developed into arguably the best defensive shortstop in the Draft. He overhauled his offensive approach in fall practice and hit for more power during his junior season.
Houston earns solid-to-plus grades for his quickness and arm strength, and some evaluators will go even higher than that on his ability to play shortstop. He has smooth actions and plenty of range to both sides and should be a high-quality defender at the big league level. Should he not hit enough to merit an everyday role, he has the tools to play almost anywhere on the diamond as a utilityman.
In his first two college seasons, the righty-swinging Houston had a contact-over-impact mentality and projected as an average hitter with below-average power. Now that he has added muscle and sold out for power, he may find 12-15 homers per season while providing less in the way of batting average. His speed plays better in the field than it does on the bases.