Twins Prospect Makes Massive Jump in MLB's Updated Top 100 Rankings

The Minnesota Twins spent much of the final weeks of the season evaluating some of their most promising young players. Given that they weren’t going to make a postseason appearance, it was the only thing left to do.

Shortstop Marek Houston was one of the biggest riders in MLB Pipeline’s final Top 100 Prospects update to finish the year. He made a massive move, jumping 17 positions from No. 71 to No. 54 overall.

Only St. Louis Cardinals catching prospect Leo Bernal moved more when he climbed 19 spots.

Houston tied Baltimore Orioles left-hander Joseph Dzierwa and Washington Nationals infielder Seaver King for the second-largest jump in the update.

Houston’s first full professional season answered some of the questions that had been surrounding him after Minnesota selected him as a first-round draft pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.

Marek Houston Finished 2026 on a Tear

The Twins picked Houston as the No. 16 overall pick out of Wake Forest last summer.

Houston has been an elite defenseman for a long time. In fact, he earned the starting position with Wake Forest as a freshman due to his performance with his glove. MLB Pipeline gave him a 60 fielding grade along with above-average grades for his speed and arm.

The questions that surrounded Houston were all about his ability on offense.

The 2026 season should provide encouraging answers there.

The 22-year-old hit .310 with a .390 on-base percentage and .457 slugging percentage across two Minor League levels. He collected 28 doubles, 12 home runs, and 59 RBI as well.

Coming into the final stretch of the season, it would have been understandable for Houston to be a little tired and have his numbers fall. Instead, he did just the opposite. It was like he found his stride.

He went into a 10-game hitting streak where he batted .405 over 50 plate appearances while also drawing seven walks against eight strikeouts.

Certainly that added some fuel to the fire and moved him right up the Top 100 list.

Houston Could Be Knocking on Top 50

Wake Forest's Marek Houston | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Given his stats and how he finished the year, Houston’s rise might not be over.

As MLB Pipeline noted, if he were to develop more power at the plate, he could easily be a top-50 contender.

That’s not just a dream, either. He has shown signs that this could certainly be a reality.

Houston hit 15 home runs with a 1.055 OPS during his final college season at Wake Forest. Since joining the Twins, he has continued to work at creating better line-drive angles and producing more impact.

He has already reached Double-A, and that puts him in a position to continue his quick rise within the organization.

Twins Have High-End Talent Coming

Houston isn’t the only one who earned recognition in the Pipeline’s final update, either.

Walker Jenkins moved from No. 15 to No. 13 overall. Jenkins remains Minnesota’s No. 1 prospect within the organization despite already reaching the Major Leagues this season.

Minnesota’s current organizational rankings have Jenkins first, Vahn Lackey second, Kaelen Culpepper third, and Houston fourth. Emmanuel Rodriguez rounds out the top five.

Several of those prospects have already found their way to the MLB field.

Houston has not.

If he continues on the path he is currently on, it likely won’t be long before he gets the chance.

Add us as a preferred source on Google