Twins select Wake Forest shortstop Marek Houston in first round of 2025 MLB Draft
Minnesota has selected shortstop Marek Houston out of Wake Forest University with pick No. 16 in the 2025 MLB Draft, marking back-to-back years the Twins went with a shortstop with their first pick in the draft.
Houston, 21, is coming off a superb 2025 season for Wake Forest, where he posted a .354/.458/.597 slash line with 15 homers and 66 RBIs in 298 plate appearances. Houston struggled in his first collegiate season, hitting .220/.328/.307 with four homers and 29 RBIs, before having a strong 2024 season with a .949 OPS and eight home runs and, as previously mentioned, a spectacular 2025 campaign.
As far as Houston’s scouting grades go, the shortstop rates 50 in hitting ability, 45 in power, 55 in run and arm and 60 in fielding. He is viewed as one of the best defensive shortstops in the draft.
According to his scouting report, Houston, who is 6-foot-3 inches and 205 pounds, was a contact hitter with below-average power in his first two collegiate seasons. He added weight before the 2025 season, which likely contributed to his increased power numbers.
Accolades for Houston during his college career include earning a 2024 Third Team All-ACC Selection and a 2023 All-ACC Academic Team Selection.
Houston, who was a Cape Cod League All-Star last summer, joins a Twins team with a lot of formidable shortstops in the organization, such as Carlos Correa, Brooks Lee and Kaelen Culppepper. Houston will have to perform at a high level in the minors for an extended period of time to earn a promotion to the big leagues, and he could be moved to another position at some point, especially since Correa won’t be leaving anytime soon. Although given the high praise for his defense, it will be difficult to move Houston off shortstop. Hopefully for the Twins, they are in a position to buy at the trade deadline next season or the following one, and Houston could be traded away if Correa is still holding down the shortstop position, and Lee and Culpepper are proving to be major league-caliber shortstops.
The Twins’ next pick in the draft will be at No. 36 in the Competitive Balance A Round.