Pair of Deacons drafted with back-to-back picks

Marek Houston, Ethan Conrad selected in the first round of MLB draft

Wake Forest’s baseball program is up to seven first-round picks in the last three MLB drafts.

Shortstop Marek Houston was picked 16th overall by the Minnesota Twins on Sunday night, and outfielder Ethan Conrad went with the next pick to the Chicago Cubs.

The Deacons have pumped high-end talent into MLB farm systems lately. In 2023, Rhett Lowder (seventh overall) and Brock Wilken (18th) were picked in the first round; last year, Chase Burns (second), Nick Kurtz (fourth) and Seaver King (10th) were first-rounders.

Lowder, Burns and Kurtz have each already made their major league debuts.

Wake Forest also had one of its high school commits drafted early. Josh Hammond was picked 28th by the Royals with a prospect promotion incentive pick; he’s expected to sign.

Houston has been a three-year starter at shortstop for the Deacons. He had a team-best 66 RBI this past season. He’s known as an elite defender who improved as a hitter in his sophomore and junior seasons.

“I couldn’t be happier for or prouder of Marek,” Wake Forest coach Tom Walter said through a news release. “His hard work and sacrifice has paid off and he has become the type of player a Major League team can anchor their defense around.

“The Twins are a great organization with a track record of development. Marek will thrive in the Twins organization and his ascent to the big leagues will be swift.”

Conrad played in 21 games for the Deacons this season, his only one with the program after transferring from Marist. His season ended with an injury that required surgery during Wake’s season. Before the surgery, Conrad slashed .372/.495/.744.

“Ethan is a five-tool player, who is a gamer,” Walter said. “This is a great pick by the Chicago Cubs. Ethan will be a guy who will play in the big leagues for a long time and is a potential All-Star. His bat-to-ball skills are elite and he is just scratching the surface of his power potential.”

Both are juniors with a season of eligibility remaining, but both are expected to sign. Conrad entered the transfer portal after Wake’s season ended, so in the unlikely circumstance he doesn’t sign, he’d be headed to another program for his senior season.

The slot bonus for Houston’s draft position is $4,929,600; the slot bonus for Conrad’s pick is $4,750,800. Think of those as ballpark numbers for signing bonuses — teams have the option to go over or under those numbers to sign draft picks.

Later in the draft, another commit was drafted. Pitcher Will Hynes was taken 70th overall by the Cleveland Guardians. He’s likely to sign and forego his commitment to Wake Forest — but it’s worth remembering Chris Levonas was drafted 67th overall last year and made it to Winston-Salem.