Twins draft slick-fielding shortstop Marek Houston, then focus on high-upside picks

New York Times

12 hours ago

Wake Forest shortstop Marek Houston is widely considered one of the elite fielders in a shortstop-heavy 2025 MLB Draft class, and the Minnesota Twins are big enough believers in the strides he made offensively this season to select the 21-year-old with the No. 16 pick on Sunday.
Even first-round picks drafted as shortstops often wind up sliding down the defensive spectrum to other positions as they face higher-level competition and mature physically. Some recent Twins examples of that include Brooks Lee, Royce Lewis, Nick Gordon, Trevor Plouffe and Michael Cuddyer.
Advertisement
That's unlikely to be the case with Houston, who is seen as a legit shortstop with the ability to stick there long-term. There are some questions about his offensive upside even after a breakthrough junior season in which Houston hit .354/.458/.597 with 15 homers in 61 games for the Demon Deacons.
Keith Law of The Athletic rates Houston as the No. 19 prospect in the class, calling him 'a no-doubt shortstop' and 'a high-floor, lower-ceiling prospect, unless someone foresees more power in his future than I do.'
Baseball America (No. 14), MLB.com (No. 15) and ESPN.com (No. 23) ranked Houston in a similar range, touting his smooth fielding and bat-to-ball skills while generally expressing less enthusiasm about his power potential despite a sturdy 6-foot-3 frame.
'My first two years, I was always known as a shortstop,' Houston said. 'My freshman year, I didn't hit very well, but I was always the guy at shortstop pitchers could count on. I always took pride in that. I think the work I put in this year, and the coaches around me, kind of proved the bat is there.'
Twins select Wake Forest SS Marek Houston at 16 pic.twitter.com/dCRZCICEbo
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) July 13, 2025
Of course, if Houston is as good defensively as most draft analysts seem to think, with some making the case for him as the best defender in the entire class, there's certainly a path for him to develop into an all-around impact player at a premium position even without substantial power.
'We thought (Houston) was the best college shortstop on the board,' said assistant general manager Sean Johnson, who oversees the draft. 'We've seen him for a long time at Wake Forest and really love to watch him play shortstop. We feel like he's a really good shortstop.'
Houston made significant year-over-year improvements offensively while at Wake Forest. After posting a punchless .625 OPS as a freshman in 2023, he boosted it to a .949 OPS as a sophomore and a 1.055 OPS as a junior, with as many walks (46) as strikeouts (46) and 19 steals in 21 tries.
Advertisement
'I go into each year thinking about what I can do to get better,' Houston said. 'And that was impacting the ball more than I did the year before. I went into the year trying to gain a little bit more muscle, trying to get a little bit stronger and faster. Hitting-wise, it came together really well.'
However, his exit velocities and other batted-ball metrics were somewhat underwhelming, and 11 of his 15 homers this season came at Wake Forest's power-inflating ballpark. But taking a high-contact hitter with a line-drive swing and trying to add power has been part of the Twins' draft approach.
'That's where the value is in really getting to know a player,' Johnson said. 'How they're wired, how they've been training. Knowing he's put on weight since he's been at Wake Forest. (Houston) is a worker who's driven to be a really good player, so we're hoping to carry that forward.'
Twins shortstop Carlos Correa is signed through at least 2028. Last year's first-round pick, Kaelen Culpepper, is also a shortstop with a chance to stay there long-term, and he's already thriving at Double A. But there's no such thing as too many good shortstops. It's one of those nice problems to have.
'It's very hard to play everyday big-league shortstop,' Johnson said. 'Very high bar to clear. But we think Marek can do it. He's got great instincts and great reads off the bat. He's got plenty of arm strength. He's got range. All the things you need to stay at short, we think he can do it.'
Why not add No. 9? Q is through 6.0 IP for the first time in his career too!@rileyquick12 I #RollTide pic.twitter.com/d7KXdfIDFb
— Alabama Baseball (@AlabamaBSB) May 3, 2025
With the No. 36 pick awarded by MLB as part of the Competitive Balance Round, the Twins selected University of Alabama right-hander Riley Quick, who flashed upper-90s fastball velocity in an encouraging first season back from Tommy John surgery.
Quick is a 6-foot-6, 250-pound former offensive lineman who turned down Division I football offers to play baseball, so his high-octane raw stuff also comes with an intimidating presence on the mound. He posted a 3.92 ERA for Alabama this season, with 70 strikeouts and 24 walks in 62 innings.
Advertisement
Three drafts ago, the Twins used their second-round choice on left-hander Connor Prielipp, another Alabama starter whose Tommy John surgery knocked him out of the first round after once projecting as a possible top-10 pick. Prielipp is now a healthy top prospect pitching well at Double A.
The Twins are no doubt hoping for similar success with Quick, whose raw stuff returned from surgery intact and is among the best in the class. In addition to a mid-90s fastball that topped out at 99 mph, Quick introduced a cutter this season as part of what is now a four-pitch mix.
'I think we're lucky he chose baseball over football,' Johnson said. 'Not all 6-6 guys have the same amount of athleticism. So a guy who is that nimble and big, and coordinated with his delivery, was really appealing. We think there's even more to unlock with the way he uses his pitches.'
In rating Quick as the No. 23 prospect in the class, Law notes he might wind up as a reliever but also 'has such a great foundation of arm strength, ability to spin the ball, and a present off-speed weapon in the changeup that he could be a No. 2 starter or better with some mechanical fine-tuning.'
First summer look at the So Cal Giants. Quentin Young (2025, Oaks Christian ) taking some hacks#MLBDraft@PG_Scouting @PG_Draft @SoCalGiants pic.twitter.com/5TDsucPa33
— Perfect Game California (@California_PG) June 22, 2025
With their second-round pick, the Twins took California high school slugger Quentin Young at No. 54. Young has big-league connections as the nephew of Dmitri Young, the No. 4 pick in the 1991 draft, and Delmon Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft who played four seasons for the Twins.
Young was technically drafted as a shortstop, but he's a prime example of that not mattering because there's almost no chance the 6-6 teenager stays there for long. He has the athleticism and elite arm strength for third base, but massive raw power is the carrying tool that enticed the Twins.
'His tools are so loud and big,' Johnson said. 'Some of the highest upside in the whole draft. That's probably the highlight of our scouts for the night. We thought he'd be off the board. To be able to get him, our scouts are probably in the room still trying to do gymnastics. Just tremendous upside.'
Advertisement
With their final Day 1 selection, the Twins used their third-round pick, No. 88, on Dallas Baptist University right-hander James Ellwanger. He racked up 95 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings this year and topped out at 100 mph, but shaky control and durability concerns may lead to the bullpen eventually.
'Ellwanger is a big-time athlete,' Johnson said. 'He's got one of the better breaking balls on the board. And that's a guy we think we can do more with (developmentally) as well to keep him as a starter long-term.'
(Photo of Marek Houston: Saul Young / News Sentinel / USA Today via Imagn Images)