When the Washington Nationals selected Eli Willits with the first-overall pick on Sunday evening, it kicked off a round filled with surprises. But the Twins were anticipating that — perhaps even more than usual, assistant general manager Sean Johnson, who heads the draft for the Twins, said.
And while there were other surprises in the draft, perhaps the Twins’ selection at No. 16 wasn’t such a shock. After all, multiple mock drafts in the lead up to the draft had the Twins linked to Wake Forest shortstop Marek Houston, and on Sunday, the Twins made him their first pick of the night.
“It’s kind of a moment I’ve always looked forward to my whole life,” Houston said. “I was sitting on the couch for about three hours today, just watching the TV and it kind of just hits you right after all the hard work and everything with your family around you. It’s just amazing.”
Starting with Willits, eight prep players went within the first 15 picks, but when it came time for the Twins’ selection, they went with a college bat, as they’ve so often done with their first pick in recent years.
Houston, 21, is a strong defender with some evaluators ranking him as the top defensive shortstop in the class, which, in this particular class, is saying something considering the first round was stacked at the position.
“We really feel like he’s a really good shortstop — range, arm, all the things that we know are important for the position,” Johnson said. “His make up, his leadership for the position … we’re really ecstatic about getting him with our first pick.”
The glove has always been a strength. This year, with the work he’s put in, Houston has shown that the bat is as well.
In his junior year at Wake Forest, Houston hit .354 with a 1.055 OPS, collecting 86 hits in 61 games and developing more power, jumping from four long balls in his freshman season to eight as a sophomore and 15 as a junior. He also had 14 doubles, 19 stolen bases and 61 runs scored for the Demon Deacons this season.
“I go into each year thinking about what can I do to get better and for me, that was kind of just impacting the ball a little bit more than I did the year before,” Houston said. “I went into the year trying to gain a little bit more muscle, try to get a little bit stronger and faster and … the coaches around me really helped me with anything mechanical wise, hitting wise and it came together really well.”
After Houston, with their second selection on Sunday at No. 36 overall, the Twins grabbed right-handed pitcher Riley Quick, a 6’6” 21-year-old out of Alabama. Quick underwent Tommy John surgery in early 2024 but recovered from that and finished his last season with a 3.92 earned-run average across 62 innings pitched, striking out 70 batters.
The Twins grabbed another infielder with their second-round pick, selecting 18-year-old high schooler Quentin Young, the nephew of former MLB players Dmitri and Delmon Young, the latter of whom spent four seasons with the Twins. Quentin Young hit .381 with a 1.483 OPS in 29 games last year at Oaks Christian High School.
“The upside with Quentin Young is tremendous. I think that’s probably like the highlight of our scouts for the night. We thought he’d be off the board by then,” Johnson said. “To be able to get him where we took him, our scouts are probably in the room still trying to do gymnastics.”
With their final pick of the day, the Twins selected James Ellwanger, a right-handed pitcher out of Dallas Baptist, who finished the year with a 3.81 earned-run average and struck out 90 batters in 59 innings pitched. The draft, which has been condensed to two days now, will conclude on Monday with rounds four through 20.
Related Articles
Mizutani: Byron Buxton is every bit deserving of this All-Star moment
Twins fall one run short of sweeping Pirates
Meet the Twins lifer pitching to Byron Buxton in the Home Run Derby
Cole Sands’ embrace of opener role benefitting Twins
Making a splash: Byron Buxton hits for cycle in Twins’ win against Pirates
Leave a Reply