The Athletic Floats New Possibilities for Twins at Pick No. 3

[Cody Christie]

The calendar may still read April, but draft season is already beginning to take shape. In his latest update for The Athletic, Keith Law reshuffled the board for the 2026 MLB Draft, offering a clearer picture of how the top of the class is evolving. For the Twins, who currently sit in the third spot, that clarity comes with both opportunity and complication.

At the top, UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky has long been viewed as the frontrunner to go first overall to the Chicago White Sox. That perception has not completely disappeared, but Law suggests the gap is tightening. A handful of college standouts are making compelling late pushes, giving both the White Sox and the Rays, who pick second, more to think about before Minnesota is on the clock.

C Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech

One of the fastest risers in Law’s rankings is Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. The right-handed hitter has put together a dominant offensive season, showcasing a rare blend of patience and power. He is controlling the strike zone at an elite level, drawing more walks than strikeouts while doing significant damage when he connects. Lackey has also flashed surprising athleticism, even contributing on the bases, and evaluators remain confident in his ability to remain behind the plate long term. That combination of offensive impact and defensive value has pushed him into the conversation at the very top of the draft.

RHP Jackson Flora, UC Santa Barbara

On the pitching side, UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora continues to build momentum. His performance this spring has been nothing short of overpowering, backed by premium velocity that regularly reaches triple digits and comfortably sits in the upper 90s. Flora complements the fastball with a devastating changeup that earns top-of-the-scale grades, while his slider and command round out a well-balanced arsenal. His delivery adds an element of deception, making his already electric stuff even tougher for hitters to pick up. Among pitchers in this class, he stands alone as the most realistic candidate to challenge for the first overall selection.

SS Tyler Bell, Kentucky

Kentucky infielder Tyler Bell presents a different type of evaluation. After suffering a shoulder injury early in the season, Bell missed time before returning to the lineup and continuing to produce at a high level. His on-base skills have been particularly impressive, driven by a disciplined approach that limits chase and forces pitchers into the zone. There will be medical questions to answer, and teams will need to be comfortable with the long-term outlook, but his performance has kept him firmly in the mix as one of the better bats in the class. For a team like Minnesota, risk tolerance will play a key role in determining whether he remains a viable option.

Beyond those names, Law’s rankings continue to highlight the depth of the class. High school shortstop Grady Emerson represents one of the top prep talents available, while college hitters Eric Becker and Drew Burress have both put themselves on the radar with strong offensive showings. Each brings a different profile, giving teams multiple pathways depending on their preferences for risk, development timeline, and positional value.

For the Twins, the takeaway is simple but significant. There may not be a clear-cut choice waiting at three, but there should be a talented one. How the board unfolds ahead of them will dictate whether they lean toward a polished college bat, a high upside arm, or a longer-term prep investment.

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[Cory Engelhardt]

Sign me up for Lackey or Flora as of today. Both would be awesome additions to our organization.

[DataNerd]

I wouldn't have Bell nearly as high as Law has him.  Medical issues and hasn't demonstrated game power in college.  Not in the same tier as Emerson/Lackey/Flora, and Falvey never passed on the top tier player at the top of the draft, so I'm not expecting Zoll to either.

With how different those 3 players are to each other, wouldn't be surprised they just took the one who will sign for the least money to spend on later picks.

[Dman]

I'm happy with any of Lackey, Emerson or Flora.  Lackey would be my first pick as having an arm that could control the running game as well as hit would be a really valuable asset that is incredibly hard to find.  He is also athletic enough to play other positions as well.

Emerson with nice contact skills and a big body might take a little more time, but looks like a unique talent as well.

Feels like the Twins have a fair number of arms in the pipeline but if Flora is a top of the rotation arm sure wouldn't hurt to take the best pitcher in this draft at three.

Feels like there should be an elite prospect at three no matter what.

[bunsen82]

Emerson and Lebron are still my top 2 options.  

[Twinkies are for eating]

I’d take the pitcher. But Twins won’t. They’ve taken 8 pitchers in the first since 1983. Gotta be the lowest in baseball!

[Nshore]

Based on the randomness of it all, I would pay a trained monkey to point at the pick.

[Gamblerssoftball]

I'm terrified of drafting a pitcher. Unless you're willing to sew their arm back on and waiting for a couple of years to see if they can still throw the ball. I'd rather take the best bat and glove guy.

[Joe A. Preusser]

My daughter's name is Flora, and I've already promised her a jersey if he makes it to the Twins MLB club...so....make it happen.

[DasBat]

Im hoping Emerson or Flora.  I want nothing to do with Lebron.  I'm assuming Cholowsky will be gone

[DarrenPS]

For me right now, it's either Roch or Emerson if they fall, and then Flora at 3 if they don't. I wouldn't hate Lackey of course but I would love a college pitching prospect who already looks like he has front of a lineup potential. Not only that, if his hit on the pool is lower than others, you go grab 2-3 guys for over slot later and that's a successful draft projection. I don't know if I am as in on Bell yet. Sad to see LeBron drop but the SEC #'s just aren't there (yet)

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, Joe A. Preusser said:

My daughter's name is Flora, and I've already promised her a jersey if he makes it to the Twins MLB club...so....make it happen.

That is about as good a reason as anyone has at this point. My mom always bet on the ponies with names somehow related to family and she won a bunch.

The Twins and their scouts are watching these players quite a bit. They will have a ton of information and crosschecking done by mid July. The options are wide open at this time. While the UCLA shortstop was a consensus top pick coming into the season, he has not done anything to firm up that spot according to numerous prospect writers. He still holds down the #1 position but I believe it will be late June before the Twins are more sure of their guys. Just a few weeks ago people were suggesting that Vahn Lackey had little chance to break into the top ten. I'm just staying with BPA, but like Joe A. Preusser's reason to pick Flora.

[tony&rodney]

2 hours ago, Gamblerssoftball said:

I'm terrified of drafting a pitcher. Unless you're willing to sew their arm back on and waiting for a couple of years to see if they can still throw the ball. I'd rather take the best bat and glove guy.

The Skenes boy has turned out ok so far. 

 

[twinstalker]

6 hours ago, bunsen82 said:

Emerson and Lebron are still my top 2 options.  

Lebron really, really isn't good.  Emerson likely a stud.  But we finally are getting Lebron out of the early picks.  Why is Lebron a top option when he's been a mess at the plate his whole college career?  He hits the fastball.  Can you imagine taking Yunior Severino or Kalai Rosario with the #3 pick?

Straight ball I hit very much.

[twinstalker]

I'm a little hesistant on Lackey, as his summer league work is putrid, and at least in the Cape Cod League, that's with wooden bats.

But I think with Cholowsky, Emerson, and Flora, the #3 pick is finally easy for you unless you're really dumb, Twins.  Of course, anything can happen to a pitcher, so fingers crossed.

[Joe A. Preusser]

7 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

That is about as good a reason as anyone has at this point. My mom always bet on the ponies with names somehow related to family and she won a bunch.

So funny you brought this up.  When I was talking to my daughter about him it occurred to me that having a favorite player based on their name was akin to choosing a horse for the same reason lol.😆 

For the record, although I don't bet on horse racing much, I have been known to do just that when I really liked the horses name.

[tony&rodney]

7 hours ago, twinstalker said:

But I think with Cholowsky, Emerson, and Flora, the #3 pick is finally easy for you unless you're really dumb, Twins. 

Unless you have seen these guys play several times in the last month I'm not sure why you take such a strong stand. Prospects, notoriously, have movement and variance in their play in a year. Many factors can change an outlook on a player. Competition and physical plus mental growth lead the way.

I'm not in a position to travel around to see these guys and have not seen the games, if televised or streamed. The scouts I know keep information close to themselves and prospect writers vary quite often. Video highlights aren't very useful. Thus I'm open to the consensus from the Twins in early July.

We may see the same information, don't know though. One detail concerning Emerson that causes me some doubt is his foot speed and there isn't universal agreement that he stays at shortstop either at this time. April, May, and June should allow for some assessments based on good competition. We should remember that Paul Skenes was not a top three pick a year ahead of the draft and Brooks Lee was seen as the best college bat when he was drafted. 

I say BPA because the draft in baseball is difficult. On April 10 I'm not ready to pick anyone even as a fan.

[jorgenswest]

I really like any of the top 3 in the recent Athletic ranking. Cholowsky, Lackey and Flora all play a premium positions that will always be valuable. Any of those three would make great additions.

[Gamblerssoftball]

12 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

The Skenes boy has turned out ok so far. 

 

"So far"being the key here. He may be in that elite small group that can avoid surgery. I hope this for all pitchers. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I would have chosen my lefty grandson pitcher, Jacob Benbow, who was 10-0, 0.87 ERA, and 91 K's in 54 innings at Greensboro, N.C. Grimsley High School last year. However on April 3, 2026 he just had surgery on his left shoulder for a torn labrum. (OK, OK, I admit I may be a little prejudiced.) I also want to point out how much Jacob appreciated Wichita Surge pitcher, Rickey Castro, who I met at spring training this spring, reaching out to Jacob and wishing Jacob a quick recovery.

[JADBP]

I guess we are all rooting for Flora...because I am sure Joe's daughter would be over the moon!  It would not be a bad pick either.   He's currently sitting at 6-0, with a 0.63 ERA over 9 games.  

Flora is currently doing better than Skenes in his last year of college.......Skenes had a 1.69 ERA over 19 games.  

I have changed my vote...going for Flora!

[Mike Sixel]

I mean, Royce hasn't exactly been healthy, so hitters also get hurt. Take the best player. Regardless of position. I'm hoping it's college pitcher, SS, or the catcher. Biggio was a catcher before moving, iirc. 

[amjgt]

On 4/10/2026 at 9:09 AM, jorgenswest said:

I really like any of the top 3 in the recent Athletic ranking. Cholowsky, Lackey and Flora all play a premium positions that will always be valuable. Any of those three would make great additions.

This is where I'm at. I don't know enough to really create my own draft opinions, but reading write ups from people that DO know enough has me excited for any of these three. 

1. Cholowsky - The stud, who would only fall to #3 if other studs unseat him, and/or if the teams above us get cute with their bonus pools

2. Lackey - Premium defensive position and a hit tool that's taking off. I'm pretty sure if pressed, Keith Law would take him #1.

3. Flora - I love the idea of taking clearly the best pitcher in the draft class. Not very often you get a chance to do that. 

Beyond that, there will obviously be some really good players but something about trying to suss out which of the 15 Shortstops will be the best of the bunch seems like such a crap shoot (Especially for an organization that has made cuts in the scouting department). It feels like you're trying to answer more questions, most importantly, which position do we think he's ACTUALLY going to play. And on top of that you've got to figure out who's hitting is going to translate to MLB the best. 

 

[Chembry]

Baseball America published it's mock draft 2.0 yesterday.  They still have Emerson at #2 and have the Twins taking Vaugh Lackey at #3.  Lombard at #4 and Flora at #5. 

What surprised me is that Justin Lebron dropped down to #14.  

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2026-mlb-mock-draft-2-0-updated-first-round-picks-for-every-team/

 

[laloesch]

Lots of shortstops at the top of the draft this year.

I'd take Flora #1 and if he's gone by pick 3 then Lackey.  Good catchers that can also hit well are rare so it's a close pick between Flora and Lackey.  Flora has a plus plus changeup and a dynamic fastball, which screams ace to me. I think you have to take him if he falls to #3, but that's my opinion.

Lebron scares me.  He has a tendency to chase pitches out of the zone FREQUENTLY which could make him a strikeout prone hitter.  I'd take Emerson or Cholowsky before Lebron.