Marek Houston

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #14 prospect in 2025 draft
  School: Wake Forest Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21.3
  
  BA Grade: 55/High
  
  Reliable glovework is the name of the game for Houston, who has been a rock-solid starter for Wake Forest since the day he stepped on campus in 2023. A 6-foot-3, 205-pound shortstop, Houston has a strong case as the best defender in the 2025 class. He’s not as flashy as California prep shortstop Billy Carlson, but he’s as reliable a gloveman as one will find and an easy plus defender at the position. Houston slows the game down like the best defenders do, and he attacks the ball at ideal angles with smooth, easy actions and deft hands that allow him to vacuum up tough hops and sharply hit balls. He’s got a plus, accurate arm and knows when to unleash it, with an advanced internal clock, good slot versatility and a comfort while throwing off-balance and from all sorts of angles on the field. Houston has progressed as a hitter in his three years in Winston-Salem. His offensive game is built on solid contact ability, though he added noticeable strength ahead of his 2025 draft season and hit a career-best 15 home runs. Houston’s exit velocity data is still fringy, and scouts might critique the fact that most of his power came at a hitter-friendly Wake Forest park against non-conference competition, but his power and physicality are trending in the right direction. Houston has above-average speed and is a savvy baserunner. His profile is one of the safest in the class and should lead to a selection somewhere in the middle of the first round.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run:55 | Field: 65 | Arm: 60.
• Ranked #12 prospect in 2025 draft
  School: Wake Forest Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21.3
  
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Houston built off his impressive 2023 freshman season and hit .326/.434/.516 for Wake Forest in 2024 with 25 extra-base hits and 39 RBIs. While his track record as a hitter with Wake is strong, his defensive work at shortstop is the focal point of his profile. Houston is a plus defender with an arm that is also a plus tool and has earned a reputation as one of the better defensive infielders in the class. He has range to either direction, a great internal clock and does a nice job slowing the game down. He has all the tools to stick at shortstop at the next level and also showed strong on-base skills with Bourne in the 2024 Cape Cod League when he slashed .306/.465/.329 with more walks (26) than strikeouts (21).
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 30 | Run: 55 | Field: 60 | Arm: 60
• Ranked #284 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Venice (Fla.) HS Committed/Drafted: Wake Forest
  Age At Draft: 18.3
  Houston was the most valuable player during Perfect Game’s WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., last fall where he went 9-for-20 (.520) at the event with sound defensive work at shortstop. Listed at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, Houston has a big but projectable frame that could wind up moving him to third base depending on how his body fills out. He’s shown impressive bat-to-ball skills currently, though not much in the way of raw power now. Houston has a direct, simple swing from the right side and will occasionally cut off his follow through to get out of the box quickly on jailbroken home-to-first springs. He turns in plus run times from home to first. Houston is a solid, but not flashy defender at shortstop who will make the routine plays and has shown off solid-average arm strength as well. He’s committed to Wake Forest.