The Minnesota Twins’ Best Draft Picks from the Last Eight Years

[Cody Christie]

 

The MLB Draft is one of the most unpredictable events on baseball’s annual calendar. With hundreds of players selected each summer and many never making it to the big leagues, the process of evaluating talent and finding hidden gems can define a franchise’s future. For the Minnesota Twins, the last eight drafts have yielded a mixed bag, with some picks blossoming into stars, others becoming role players, and still others fading from prospect lists altogether.

Let’s take a closer look at the best draft pick from each of the last eight classes and how these players have made their mark on the organization.

2024: Khadim Diaw, C — 3rd Round, 96th Overall
It’s early, but this class could end up being a turning point in the Twins’ draft history. While the top five picks from 2024 are all off to promising starts in the minor leagues (several already ranking among Minnesota’s top-20 prospects), it’s Diaw who stands out right now.

Diaw, a toolsy catcher, has impressed scouts with his advanced approach at the plate and quick, athletic movements behind it. Defensively, he has areas to improve as a backstop, but his bat is what could make him special. Diaw has flashed gap power and a mature understanding of the strike zone, a rare quality in catchers this young. While there’s a long way to go, he looks like a player who could be knocking on the major league door within a few years, a rare find in the third Round.

2023: Luke Keaschall, IF — 2nd Round, 49th Overall
Keaschall made an unforgettable splash with the Twins in 2025, delivering an explosive seven-game debut that quickly made fans take notice. Unfortunately, his rookie campaign was derailed when a hit-by-pitch broke his arm, shelving him until the second half of the season.

Still, Keaschall’s impact in those few games gave a glimpse of what he can become: a versatile, high-contact infielder with surprising pop. His ability to play multiple infield spots while providing a spark at the plate makes him one of the most exciting picks from recent years. If he rebounds from injury as expected, Keaschall has the skills to become a borderline All-Star.

2022: Zebby Matthews, RHP — 8th Round, 234th Overall
The 2022 draft is shaping up to be one of the best in recent franchise history. Brooks Lee has already reached the majors, and others like Connor Prielipp, Andrew Morris, Cory Lewis, and Tanner Schobel are legitimate prospects.

But the biggest surprise has been Zebby Matthews. Selected in the eighth Round, Matthews wasn’t a headline-grabbing pick, but his development has been nothing short of outstanding. His combination of command, pitchability, and an improving fastball has made him a big-league contributor far sooner than anyone expected. Matthews’ progression through the system is a testament to the Twins' development staff and his own work ethic. For value and impact, he earns the nod from this class.

2021: David Festa, RHP — 13th Round, 399th Overall
Minnesota’s 2021 draft haul looked a little thin after the team traded away several top selections like Chase Petty, Noah Miller, Steve Hajjar, and Cade Povich in subsequent deals. Enter David Festa.

Festa, a late-round steal, has already cracked the major league rotation and looks like a foundational piece for the future. With a mid-90s fastball and solid secondary offerings, Festa’s raw stuff has translated well against big-league hitters. He may end up as one of the best value picks the Twins have made in the past decade. He’s proof that talent can be found well after the early rounds.

2020: Marco Raya, RHP — 4th Round, 128th Overall
The 2020 draft was one of the strangest in MLB history, limited to just five rounds because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many high school and college seasons were canceled, making scouting especially challenging.

Raya has emerged as the lone bright spot from that class for Minnesota. After a cautious buildup in the lower minors, Raya reached Triple-A in 2025, a testament to his potential despite inconsistent results this season. He’s still young for the level and flashing the stuff that made him a fourth-round pick: a lively fastball and sharp secondary offerings. While the rest of this draft may fade into obscurity, Raya gives the Twins hope that they squeezed a future big-league arm from a challenging class.

2019: Matt Wallner, OF — 1st Round, 39th Overall
For all the criticism Minnesota rightfully received for taking Keoni Cavaco at No. 13 overall, they struck gold with Wallner later in the first round. Wallner has already produced 4.7 rWAR, delivering power and patience at the plate that plays in today’s game. He’s shaping into a reliable, above-average big-league outfielder, precisely the type of player every contending team needs.

Louis Varland, a 15th-round pick from this class, looks like a remarkable steal in his own right, but Wallner’s consistency, durability, and ceiling give him the edge as the best pick from 2019.

2018: Ryan Jeffers, C — 2nd Round, 59th Overall
Jeffers has quietly become one of the most valuable second-round picks in recent MLB history. Among 2018 second-round selections, his 8.0 rWAR more than doubles the next-best player (Parker Meadows, 3.2 rWAR). Only five players taken in the first Round have accumulated more value.

For the Twins, Jeffers has been instrumental in stabilizing the catching position, a historically difficult spot to fill. He’s provided a rare blend of good game calling, on-base skills, and power from behind the plate. When healthy, he’s been one of the team’s steadiest contributors, and at age 27, there’s plenty more to come.

2017: Bailey Ober, RHP — 12th Round, 346th Overall
Much of the spotlight from the 2017 draft shines on Royce Lewis, the No. 1 overall pick and current face of the franchise. But Ober deserves his moment in the sun. Ober, plucked in the 12th Round, has posted a 9.3 rWAR, better than every first-rounder from that draft except Hunter Greene (who the Twins passed over to draft Lewis). 

The towering right-hander has evolved into one of Minnesota’s most dependable starters, showing elite command, deception, and the ability to miss bats without overpowering velocity. For a pick outside the top ten rounds to deliver this kind of production is exceedingly rare. Ober’s success highlights the importance of scouting beyond the early rounds and finding value in overlooked arms.

The Verdict: A Promising Eight-Year Run
Looking back over the last eight drafts, it’s clear the Twins have quietly built a pipeline of impact talent at various stages of development. From early-round successes like Jeffers and Wallner to late-round gems like Festa and Ober, Minnesota’s scouting and development apparatus has delivered quality big-league pieces that other organizations envy.

Not every class hit the mark. The 2020 draft (pandemic chaos and all) produced limited impact outside of Raya. The 2021 class saw most of its top picks flipped for immediate help in trades. But overall, these drafts helped shape the team that currently competes in the AL Central race and stocked the farm system with promising reinforcements.

The future looks bright, especially with players like Khadim Diaw, Luke Keaschall, and Zebby Matthews ready to make waves in the coming seasons. If even a few more from these recent classes reach their potential, the Twins could maintain their window of competitiveness well into the next decade.

For Minnesota, the next few seasons will reveal just how impactful these picks become. Still, early returns suggest this eight-year stretch could be remembered as one of the franchise’s strongest talent acquisition periods in recent memory.

Which picks stand out to you? How would you rank these picks? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

 

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[DocBauer]

As I recall, Sean Johnson was given the #1 job over amateur scouting in 2017 when the current FO took over. I think we need to send some love and kudos his way when we examine the various drafts since 2017. Falvey and Levine may have been the top dogs in the FO, but it's been Johnson's show.

I'm very encouraged by the pick of Diaw last year, but I'm not certain hes the BEST pick in the '24 draft when you look at Culpepper, DeBarge, and Hill and what they've done so far. But Diaw looks like a really good selection. 

It's taken a few years to get the prospect pipeline going, not just the pitchers. Injuries have set a couple prospects back, most notably Lewis. But nobody has a crystal ball to see injuries in the future. They happen to all teams, even though the Twins often seem more snakebit than other organizations when it comes to top prospects being injured.

And not everyone turns out, or becomes a STAR. But when I watch Wallner, Larnach, Lewis...when healthy previously...Jeffers, Lee, Ober, Varland, Festa, and Mattthews and realize they are all from the past few years, I think you have to say they've been largely successful so far. Keaschall already looks like a great choice, and he isn't the only INF climbing the prospect ladder. How good might Jenkins be? And there's some college arms on their way who have flashed, and a handful of some really good looking prep arms looking very intriguing. Not everyone is a finished product yet, but they've reached the highest level. Very few, percentage wise, do so.

Whether the trades turned out or not, some prospects brought back ML talent to the club, most notably Petty for 2 years of Gray.

We can argue who is the best choice from various draft classes over the past few seasons, but we've seen some solid returns, some not yet polished debuts with promise showing, and some really interesting prospects that might be close, and some too young to accurately predict yet, despite early returns.

I think they've done a good job collecting the talent. It's still up to the coaches at all levels, including the ML ones, to get the most out of e everyone.

[tony&rodney]

Does any organization have a real strong record of picking the "right" guy? In 2017 Royce Lewis seemed like a solid pick, yet Mackenzie Gore looks pretty good now. In 2023 it was almost a perfect consensus for Minnesota to choose Walker Jenkins. Right? Well, how would the next pick, Jacob Wilson with his .369 BA fit in the lineup?

Hard to get too excited or too down on prospects until they make a successful run at AA and AAA. I'm just hoping for players who can field, throw, run, and hit line drives on a consistent basis.

[USAFChief]

This reads more like an indictment than an endorsement. 

 

[Parfigliano]

11 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Does any organization have a real strong record of picking the "right" guy? In 2017 Royce Lewis seemed like a solid pick, yet Mackenzie Gore looks pretty good now. In 2023 it was almost a perfect consensus for Minnesota to choose Walker Jenkins. Right? Well, how would the next pick, Jacob Wilson with his .369 BA fit in the lineup?

Hard to get too excited or too down on prospects until they make a successful run at AA and AAA. I'm just hoping for players who can field, throw, run, and hit line drives on a consistent basis.

I'm hoping for top talent picks that can stay healthy.

[Fire Dan Gladden]

I was going to comment on the risk of writing an article that potentially paints the FO in a positive light, but I it seems that I am too late... it looks like the hounds have already been unleashed.

[old nurse]

Baseball America did two articles last year on ranking teams drafting since 2012  The Twins were ranked 8th in the hitting article, 11th in pitching. Yes, the 2012 class was great. It is balanced out by the nothingness of 2013–16. The shortage of names on the list is balance out by the length of a career of a decent player