The Minnesota Twins’ farm system has churned out plenty of talent lately. Kaelen Culpepper is on his way to the major leagues and his St. Paul Saints teammate Walker Jenkins may not be far behind. But a look further down the pipeline is looking more promising by the day thanks to the performance of shortstop Marek Houston.
Houston, who was the 16th overall pick of the 2025 MLB Draft, is tearing the cover off the ball this season, hitting .319/.398/.481 with 11 homers, 47 RBI and 44 stolen bases on 48 attempts between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita this season. While those numbers indicate a breakout, they also answer an important pre-draft question, as Houston is proving his bat is just as good as his glove.
Marek Houston’s bat is starting to catch up with his glove
Houston’s defense was one of the biggest reasons he was a top prospect in the 2024 draft. Baseball America gave him a 65-to-70 grade on a 20-to-80 scale for his defense during the pre-draft process and went as far to call him a potential Gold Glove winner at shortstop thanks to his athleticism, range and throwing arm.
While Houston’s glove was enticing, his bat was keeping him from being a true elite prospect. Baseball America’s scouting report noted that Houston has elite bat-to-ball skills, high-level strike zone discipline and a low chase rate, but his power was the one thing missing that could tie it all together.
Looking at Houston’s stats at Wake Forest, this seems like an exaggeration as he hit .302/.409/.478 with 27 homers, 134 RBI and 27 RBI over his three seasons. That also includes a 2025 campaign where he hit .354/.458/.597 with 15 homers, 66 RBI and 19 stolen bases on 21 attempts. The power did not appear in Houston’s 24 games in the minors with just one homer and a .350 slugging percentage between Low-A Fort Myers and High-A Cedar Rapids. But his 2026 performance has answered any questions about power in a big way.
Houston began the year hitting .325/.406/.461 with five homers and 23 RBI in 56 games at Cedar Rapids. He was then promoted to Wichita, where he’s hitting .310/.384/.514 with six homers, 24 RBI and 20 stolen bases on 22 attempts in 34 games. The power has been even better with Houston hitting four homers and five doubles over his past 11 games and it gives him a tantalizing future as the Twins look ahead.
Twins future infield looks even brighter after Marek Houston’s breakout
The Twins’ shortstop position has been a carousel this season and it’s a big reason why Culpepper will make his major league debut in Friday’s opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. But while Culpepper will likely be at shortstop for the present, he could move to second or third base in the future, paving the way for Houston when he’s ready to go.
Houston has been playing well at Double-A and if he continues to hit, there’s a chance he could make his Triple-A debut by the end of this season. Because he is not on the 40-man roster, Houston could also continue playing with the Saints in the event a potential lockout extends into the 2027 season and could reach the majors if MLB plays next season.
An infield that includes Royce Lewis, Culpepper, Houston and Brooks Lee could return big dividends for the Twins and also leaves the possibility that Luke Keaschall could become a super-utility player in the future. However the Twins shuffle their infield, it appears Houston will be a part of it and could bring a bigger bat than many imagined when he was first drafted.
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