Minneapolis – For years, the Minnesota Twins have given their first draft pick and their families a day at the ballpark to welcome them into the organization. On Friday, Marek Houston and his family made their first-ever trip to Target Field.
Typically, the Twins do these tours before assigning the player to a minor league affiliate, but not in Houston’s case. Houston, picked 16th overall, began playing in games with Low-A Fort Myers on August 1, and got off to a good start, going 10-for-27 at the plate with four RBI.
“There’s a lot more scouting reports, a lot more information, and of course, a lot better pitching,” Houston said on his transition into the minors.
“Even at the lower levels, it’s a little tricky; it’s a lot harder to walk, and you kind of have to figure out what you want to take from and not take from all the information you get. But the one good thing is you’re training a lot harder and a lot more challenging, so that makes it easier.”
Having grown up only an hour north of Fort Myers in Venice, Fla., many of Houston’s friends and family were able to get down for his first weekend of pro-ball games. Houston has appreciated knowing that there will always be friends and family in the stands during his time in the Florida State League.
“That first, first ground ball was nerve-wracking,” he said. “First at bat, which I struck out, was kind of relieving after I got it over with. But from there, from there on, it’s gotten comfortable. So it’s been great.”
Throughout his lifelong baseball journey, many people have called and congratulated him in person after the Twins selected him in the draft. Still, there was one family friend of the Houston’s who finally got their chance to do so Friday night as his team came into town to play the Twins.
Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatrero.
Quatrero’s relationship with Houston’s father, Mark, goes back to the sandlots of Little League baseball. They’ve kept up with each other for decades, when they worked for the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Quatraro is a former prospect and bench coach from 2019 to 2022, and Mark Houston worked in ticket sales for spring training.
Their baseball journeys have been different, but their lifelong friendship has remained intact, allowing them to witness their kids grow and fall in love with the game they bonded over as children. It was a surreal moment for Quatraro and the Houstons to come together at the ballpark that Marek Houston hopes to call home one day.
“Mark and I grew up together and played a ton of baseball together,” said Quatraro. “It’s really cool because Mark came from a great family. His parents were always around at all the games, just kind of one of those full-circle moments in life.”
“He always talks about him (Quatraro),” said Houston. “We’ve been in Cleveland and gone to the Rays. We’ve been on the field in BP, talking to him before. So being here, like on the day, where I’m here, doing all this is pretty, pretty cool and ironic, but it’s been pretty cool.”
The memories came flooding back for the Houstons and Quatraro over the years, and it was a moment they’ll never forget for Marek’s introduction to the Twins. Houston and his family were introduced to Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, who was planning to attend Wake Forest before the Rays drafted him sixth overall in 2000.
Baldelli had heard plenty of good things about Houston’s makeup as a shortstop and work ethic as a ballplayer. He left the young prospect with some parting advice that Baldelli hoped he’d take back with him to Fort Myers.
“I said the biggest difference for everyone that gets into this game, and I was standing right where he is standing 25 years ago, is doing it seven days a week for eight months, and having the same mentality, showing up to the ball field every day,” said Baldelli. “[Be] ready to work every single day, giving the most that you can give every single day. I don’t think that’ll ever change.”
Rarely does a team’s first-round draft pick get some time for advice from both MLB managers on a gameday, but Houston is one of the exceptions. He’ll still have some time to develop in the Twins’ farm system. However, if he can maintain the work ethic he built up at Wake Forest, he’ll undoubtedly be in the majors in a year or two, hoping to play for Baldelli and against his family friend Quatraro.
“This is what you dream of,” said Houston. “Hopefully playing here one day, this is a really cool ballpark, and this has been a really cool day so far. It’s not over yet, but it’s awesome.
“Just keeping tabs on his kids as they’ve grown up and seeing what they’ve all become, good baseball players, it’s really interesting. But really fun for me to be here on that night, just as a kind of a surreal moment. My kids are young, so not being able to picture eight, 10 years down the road when they’re in a situation like that.”
