Top Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Promoted

There has been a ton of change in the Minnesota Twins organization over the past few weeks. Not only did the front office trade a boatload of players off the active roster, but the farm system was infused with a bunch of new talent.

Unfortunately the Pohlad family remains in charge of everything, but there is hope that the talent can compensate for ownership ineptitude. Derek Falvey, and the infrastructure he has created, still must get the most out of the players working their way through the farm system.

During the All-Star Break Minnesota participated in the 2025 MLB Draft. They selected Marek Houston with the 16th overall pick and not long after he was talking to Minnesota Sports Fan about his experience. Now he’s headed to the next rung of the farm system ladder.

Marek Houston headed to Cedar Rapids

The Minnesota Twins initially sent Marek Houston to Low-A Fort Myers. That is customary for most draft picks, but like the best of them, he made quick work of the competition.

After just 12 games with the Mighty Mussels, Houston is headed to the High-A Cedar Rapids Kernels. During his brief time in the Florida State League, Houston batted .370/.424/.444 with four doubles and six stolen bases.

Houston is not a bopper, and he’s still looking for his first professional home run. However, he is already considered a big league caliber defensive shortstop. How much the bat can continue to develop from here will be the only thing that holds him back from future promotions.

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.

The Twins have a real level of belief in Houston after taking him 16th overall and handing him a $4.5 million bonus. He is the first prospect from the Twins 2025 draft contingent to reach High-A.

The expectation should be that Houston will spend the vast majority of his time in 2026 with Cedar Rapids. The Kernels have just 18 regular season games left this season. They won the first half of the Midwest League West, so they are going to play postseason baseball.

It will be great for Houston to get that extended run and play in some additional games that matter. Currently Cedar Rapids is 2.5 games back of Beloit atop the second-half standings in the West as well. Houston could help to potentially put them over the top.

In Cedar Rapids he joins standout prospects like Kyle DeBarge, Brandon Winokur, and the recently acquired Eduardo Tait.