MINNEAPOLIS – Marek Houston has heard the talk, he just isn’t interested in it. When the Twins made Houston the No. 16 overall pick in last summer’s Draft, the top line on the scouting report was simple: elite defensive shortstop. Lots of players are drafted as shortstops, but the first question is whether they can stick there. That question never came up with Houston. Instead, the questions were on the other side of the ball. Would he hit enough to be more than a utility player or glove-first shortstop? In his third year at Wake Forest, Houston experienced a power surge, almost doubling his previous career high in homers, while continuing to control the strike zone and hit for average. What was unclear was whether he could keep that up in pro ball. His first year didn’t clear much up. Houston, ranked as the Twins' No. 7 prospect by MLB Pipeline, obliterated Single-A pitching in 12 games at Fort Myers, then struggled mightily in 12 games at High-A Cedar Rapids. Back at Cedar Rapids for his first full year of pro ball in 2026, he’s showing encouraging signs. That includes his first professional multi-homer game, when he went 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs on June 5. Entering Tuesday, he sports a .308/.376/.451 line for the Kernels with five homers and an impressive 15 steals in 16 tries. While it's still a long way to the Majors, it’s encouraging nonetheless. But again, Houston isn’t looking to prove anyone wrong. He’s just not interested in what they say. |
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“I think my glove gets -- it’s definitely really good; people say that’s what I’m known for, but it’s something I don’t really think about,” he said recently. “I know I’m a pretty good hitter, so I just try to play my game. Try not to focus on what they say. For me, myself, my goal offensive wise is just trying to impact the ball and really get it going on that end. I know what I can do with the glove.” Last year was a challenging year for Houston, though not a bad one. He played a full season at Wake Forest (including a full Regionals run), went through the Draft process, and played at two levels in the Minor Leagues. Getting his feet under him at Spring Training this year has made for a less disorienting time in his second year playing professionally. “It was a lot,” he said. “A lot of change in my life. Kind of focusing on one thing at a time, playing college baseball and worried about lots of things. You’re trying to win, worried about how you’re playing, lots of things going through your mind. It wasn’t too bad. … There was a good break in between the season, Draft, and when I went. So honestly, it didn’t feel too long to me.” A full offseason and spring also allowed him to spend more time talking to the organization about how he can best refine his offense. He’s always controlled the strike zone well, but one thing the Twins know – one fundamental baseball truth – is that you have to hit the ball hard, or it'll make it much harder for you to keep drawing walks. So, Houston is concentrating on making hard contact with the pitches that are in his hitting zone. “It’s just getting my swing off,” he said. “Being a contact-oriented guy, just trying to hit the ball with more authority. That was kind of my goal in school my junior year, was trying to hit those doubles and homers consistently. And it’s kind of just translated into pro ball. That’s my main goal, is following the contact piece, but also trying to drive the ball more and more.” |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
Prior to Sunday’s series finale against the Royals, the Twins honored Annunciation Catholic Church and School with a pregame ceremony. It was the end of a challenging school year at Annunciation, which began the year back in August with a horrendous school shooting in which two children lost their lives. Following the on-field ceremony, the club also announced that it will be renovating the Wiffle ball field at Annunciation, a beloved recreation spot. |
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It was a slow start to the year for Victor Caratini, who was signed with the idea he’d be a key bat in the Twins order, playing catcher, first base, and DH. Kody Clemens’ performance and Caratini’s slump led to Clemens seeing more time at first, and then the injury to Ryan Jeffers moved Caratini into primary catching duties. That change seems to be suiting him. Starting with the day Jeffers hit the injured list, Caratini has been one of Minnesota’s hottest hitters. From May 20 through Sunday’s series finale against the Royals, he sported a .293/.354/.512 line with five extra-base hits – after tallying two XBH all year up to that point. And he’s done it while shouldering a heavy load behind the plate. "He's a veteran guy,” said manager Derek Shelton. “A guy that's almost 10 years in the big leagues. We knew when we acquired him, he could do so many things for us. When Jeffers got hurt, he's going to be in the primary catcher role. But I think we've [also seen], the ability to have pinch hits, the ability to have some steadiness from him is really important in a room." |
AND, FINALLY, THE PLAYLIST |
I’m a little late on this, but the Twin Cities celebrated Prince this past weekend in honor of what would have been his 68th birthday and 10 years since his death. So here are five of my favorite tracks from one of the greatest all-around artists who ever made pop, rock, or soul music. Y’all be kind and look out for each other, OK? “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” “Take Me with U” “Sign o’ The Times” “7” “Musicology” |
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