Keith Law’s Latest Mock Draft Hands the Twins a Dream Scenario

[Cody Christie]

There is roughly a month remaining before the 2026 MLB Draft, and most of the top amateur prospects have already wrapped up their seasons. With the on-field evaluations largely complete, front offices are entering the most challenging phase of the process.

At this point, the draft becomes less about collecting new information and more about determining organizational preferences. Teams must weigh talent against signability, bonus pool strategy, and long-term upside. It is a complicated balancing act, especially near the top of the draft, where every decision can reshape a farm system.

In his latest mock draft, Keith Law presented a scenario that would likely have Twins fans sprinting to the podium if it became reality.

Law projects the White Sox to select catcher Vahn Lackey with the first overall pick. Lackey's stock has steadily climbed throughout the spring, and he has become one of the hottest names in the draft class. His combination of offensive production and defensive value behind the plate has made him a favorite among evaluators. The connection to Minnesota is notable because there has been industry speculation that the Twins have spent considerable time evaluating Lackey as a potential third-overall pick.

The bigger surprise in Law's mock comes with the second selection. He has the Rays taking Tyler Bell, a player Tampa Bay originally drafted out of high school before he chose the college route. Bell is a talented prospect, but most public draft boards have not consistently placed him among the top three players available. The selection would likely indicate that Tampa Bay is prioritizing bonus pool flexibility, potentially saving money at the top of the draft in order to be aggressive later on.

If that sequence unfolds, Minnesota would be left with an opportunity that currently feels almost too good to be true. Law has the Twins selecting Roch Cholowsky with the third overall pick. For much of the draft cycle, Cholowsky has been viewed by many evaluators as the favorite to go first overall. He is widely regarded as one of the most complete players in the class, combining a polished offensive profile with the defensive ability to remain at shortstop. Depending on who you ask, he is either the best college shortstop available or the best overall player in the entire draft.

That is why this mock stands out. Most projections have Cholowsky off the board before Minnesota is on the clock. If he somehow reaches the third pick, it would be difficult to imagine the Twins passing on the opportunity. Talent tends to win out at the top of the draft, and Cholowsky's combination of floor and upside would make him an ideal addition to the organization's long-term plans.

Of course, Minnesota would still have attractive alternatives available if the board unfolds differently. Texas prep standout Grady Emerson remains one of the most exciting hitters in the class and has generated significant buzz throughout the scouting community. Meanwhile, Jackson Flora has emerged as the top college pitching prospect available and could provide the Twins with another premium talent to consider.

Both players would represent strong selections at No. 3 overall. Still, if Cholowsky is sitting there when Minnesota is on the clock, the decision could be one of the easiest the organization has made in years.

The reality is that mock drafts remain educated guesses, and there is still plenty of time for opinions to change before draft day arrives. Teams continue gathering medical information, conducting final meetings, and refining bonus strategies. One unexpected selection can completely alter the board.

That uncertainty is what makes the MLB Draft so fascinating. Today, Law's projection gives the Twins a dream scenario. Whether that scenario survives the next month of rumors, negotiations, and last-minute adjustments remains to be seen.

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[LyleCole]

It is pretty impressive that the Twins Daily mock draft earlier has three guys Law now projects to be drafted in the first round.

[tony&rodney]

I'm hoping that whatever player the Twins pick is someone who makes the regular lineup or rotation by 2028. Currently I am on Flora and then Emerson, but gladly defer to the experts.

[SF Twins Fan]

I'd love either Lackey or Cholowsky.

[DocBauer]

I don't always agree with Law in regard to the draft or prospect rankings. But he's always pretty logical in his rankings and beliefs. 

But this BLOWS ME AWAY!

The Dirty Sox have done some crazy things in the draft before, and might again. But to draft Lackey #1 would have to be some sort of $ game plan wouldn't it be? I mean, he's a great pick. But a catcher over a premium SS? I mean, I really love the Twins drafting Lackey even with a history of highly drafted catchers being a 50-50 proposition. But Lackey does seem to be the real deal. So IF this happens, it's the Dirty Sox saving another 1$M or so for their next pick.

So would the Rays "cheap out" and take Emerson or Tyler Bell over Roch? Both fit their player profile for draft picks.

I honestly can't believe the Dirty Sox would pass over Cholowsky. No matter how good Lackey is, I just don't see it. 

I still see Roch #1....how can you pass on this talent...Emerson #2 to the Rays because he not only fits their profile, but because he's just so damn good of a prospect. And that still leaves Lackey at #3 for the Twins, IMO.

I think Law might have been a little tipsy when he posted that idea, lol.

Unless the Dirty Sox just got stupid, or decided they were smart enough to outwit everyone else, I still think chalk makes sense.

But as much as I really like Lackey, IF we were gifted Cholowsky SOMEHOW, my only complaint would be memorizing his name. Lol

 

 

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

Would the baseball gods really smile on the Twins that much?

[tony&rodney]

Wonder how Cholowsky compares to Brooks Lee? Lee had a better rated hit tool and was rated higher on speed coming out of college than Cholowsky now. Cholowsky has better ratings of power and defense than Lee did. Something tells me that the best pick for an infielder is extremely risky - Jacob Lombard. 

I find it impossible to second guess draft picks when I haven't seen them play. My only caveats are picking DH types or players with athleticism who have not shown much in terms of baseball ability. In other words, leave it to the scouts.

[DataNerd]

I don't see much separation between the top 3, but I just don't get the fascination that Law has with Bell.  He seems to view his shoulder injury as a positive rather than a long-term concern.

[TopGunn#22]

This is a tremendously INTERESTING development.  Honestly, I'd be happy with ANY of Roch, Lackey or Grady Emerson.  

Still, I would also be shocked if the White Sox, who already have Teel and Quero as solid young catchers, passed on the standout SS's and took Lackey.  I'm prepared for Lackey to be our choice and would still like it.  

But I'd be running to the podium if Roch Cholowsky was sitting there.  I also fully expect to see Culpepper promoted sometime this season and be our SS at the end of 2026.  And yet, I expect to see Culpepper shifted to 3B when Marek Houston keeps hitting and becomes our full-time SS sometime in 2027.

So where does this leave a guy like Cholowsky?  A guy that has been compared to Bobby Witt Jr?  And if Cholowsky has been compared to Bobby Witt Jr. then how can Brooks Lee's lack of athleticism even compare?  

This MLB draft should be pretty interesting.  

[tony&rodney]

58 minutes ago, TopGunn#22 said:

A guy that has been compared to Bobby Witt Jr? 

Wow. Maybe the only question about Witt Jr. when he was drafted concerned his hit tool. We cannot expect anyone to reach Bobby Baseball's skill level in the next few years. He is the fastest runner, has a rocket arm, is the best defensive player in MLB, and hits for 300+ total bases a year. There are things to like about prospects but Witt Jr. is a dream.

[Andy MacPhail]

4 hours ago, TopGunn#22 said:

This is a tremendously INTERESTING development.  Honestly, I'd be happy with ANY of Roch, Lackey or Grady Emerson.  

Still, I would also be shocked if the White Sox, who already have Teel and Quero as solid young catchers, passed on the standout SS's and took Lackey.  I'm prepared for Lackey to be our choice and would still like it.  

But I'd be running to the podium if Roch Cholowsky was sitting there.  I also fully expect to see Culpepper promoted sometime this season and be our SS at the end of 2026.  And yet, I expect to see Culpepper shifted to 3B when Marek Houston keeps hitting and becomes our full-time SS sometime in 2027.

So where does this leave a guy like Cholowsky?  A guy that has been compared to Bobby Witt Jr?  And if Cholowsky has been compared to Bobby Witt Jr. then how can Brooks Lee's lack of athleticism even compare?  

This MLB draft should be pretty interesting.  

I'm not a big fan of Law. CWS with 3 promising young MLB-ready catchers (Keel, Quero & Romo), when most teams don't have one,  pass over Cholowsky (SS) for Lackey (C). Even though hoarding catching makes much more sense than corner players, I still don't see it.

[purplesoldier4u]

I'm not sure how they pass on Flora. 

[twinstalker]

You are are missing the punchline.  First, Cholowsky has to drop, which he probably won't, and Emerson is the next best pick.

But the horrifying thing missed here is that the Twins are said to be in on 5'8 OF Drew Burress if they don't get Cholowsky.  Nobody with Burress' profile has succeeded in this century.  His profile being OF, 5'8 or shorter, and right-handed.  A number have been taken in the first round, and they all struggle with major league right handed pitching.

Burress is projected anywhere from 8 to 20, and yet the Twins might take him 3rd.  This is not how to rebuild, I don't care if you save a million or more in contract that you can put to your next pick.  The Twins don't draft well enough to apply that money appropriately.

[Mike Sixel]

13 minutes ago, twinstalker said:

You are are missing the punchline.  First, Cholowsky has to drop, which he probably won't, and Emerson is the next best pick.

But the horrifying thing missed here is that the Twins are said to be in on 5'8 OF Drew Burress if they don't get Cholowsky.  Nobody with Burress' profile has succeeded in this century.  His profile being OF, 5'8 or shorter, and right-handed.  A number have been taken in the first round, and they all struggle with major league right handed pitching.

Burress is projected anywhere from 8 to 20, and yet the Twins might take him 3rd.  This is not how to rebuild, I don't care if you save a million or more in contract that you can put to your next pick.  The Twins don't draft well enough to apply that money appropriately.

If they pass on the top three and Flora, I will be more than disappointed. The further we get, the more I want the top pitcher. You can't win without pitching and you need at least three very good ones as starters. 

[sweetmusicviola16]

My first pick would be Roch. Flora second. Lackey third if the first two get taken by CWS and TB.

[Mike Sixel]

Flora. This team needs elite pitching, and won't pay for it. It is easier to find ok hitters than ok SPs. 

[arby58]

9 hours ago, TopGunn#22 said:

But I'd be running to the podium if Roch Cholowsky was sitting there.  I also fully expect to see Culpepper promoted sometime this season and be our SS at the end of 2026.  And yet, I expect to see Culpepper shifted to 3B when Marek Houston keeps hitting and becomes our full-time SS sometime in 2027.

So where does this leave a guy like Cholowsky?  A guy that has been compared to Bobby Witt Jr?  And if Cholowsky has been compared to Bobby Witt Jr. then how can Brooks Lee's lack of athleticism even compare?  

This MLB draft should be pretty interesting.  

There's always second base if Houston and Culpepper are already manning the left side of the infield. 

[arby58]

4 hours ago, twinstalker said:

You are are missing the punchline.  First, Cholowsky has to drop, which he probably won't, and Emerson is the next best pick.

But the horrifying thing missed here is that the Twins are said to be in on 5'8 OF Drew Burress if they don't get Cholowsky.  Nobody with Burress' profile has succeeded in this century.  His profile being OF, 5'8 or shorter, and right-handed.  A number have been taken in the first round, and they all struggle with major league right handed pitching.

Burress is projected anywhere from 8 to 20, and yet the Twins might take him 3rd.  This is not how to rebuild, I don't care if you save a million or more in contract that you can put to your next pick.  The Twins don't draft well enough to apply that money appropriately.

I don't think he deserves to be the number 3 selection, but the Twins did pretty well with a 5'8 centerfielder drafted out of college whose first name rhymes with Derby.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

5 hours ago, Andy MacPhail said:

I'm not a big fan of Law. CWS with 3 promising young MLB-ready catchers (Keel, Quero & Romo), when most teams don't have one,  pass over Cholowsky (SS) for Lackey (C). Even though hoarding catching makes much more sense than corner players, I still don't see it.

I gotta agree with you, Andy. I think Lackey, being a catcher, is a bigger risk than Cholowsky is at SS. You may argue with Culpepper and Houston, the Twins don't need another SS. However if a player can play SS, then he can also play 3B or 2B or 1B and probably at least a corner OF spot. The same versatility can't be true for a catcher. But if Lackey is available at #3 and Cholowsky has already been drafted, then I would be thrilled to draft Lackey for the Twins. The Twins need a catcher much more than the White Sox need a catcher.  However if Cholowsky is available at number 3...grab him. These are the top 2 players in this draft. But I do like Flora...we just have a lot of starting pitchers right now in the system.

[ashbury]

21 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

 But I do like Flora...we just have a lot of starting pitchers right now in the system.

With 13 pitchers on a typical major league roster, 5 of whom fill out the rotation, I suspect they could find room for Flora if he panned out.

[Possumlad]

I don't trust Roch's hit tool. My preference would be Emerson, Lackey, Flora in that order.

[tony&rodney]

34 minutes ago, Possumlad said:

I don't trust Roch's hit tool. My preference would be Emerson, Lackey, Flora in that order.

It really is quite difficult to project players from the draft. As I have said repeatedly I will leave it to the scouts who have watched these guys a ton. Don't rule out Jacob Lombard. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

The major league draft is much more difficulty to predict than the draft was when I graduated from UNC. That draft was pretty predictable, unless one of daddy's tenants happened to be a podiatrist. 

[JADBP]

On 6/11/2026 at 9:02 AM, TopGunn#22 said:

This is a tremendously INTERESTING development.  Honestly, I'd be happy with ANY of Roch, Lackey or Grady Emerson.  

Still, I would also be shocked if the White Sox, who already have Teel and Quero as solid young catchers, passed on the standout SS's and took Lackey.  I'm prepared for Lackey to be our choice and would still like it.  

But I'd be running to the podium if Roch Cholowsky was sitting there.  I also fully expect to see Culpepper promoted sometime this season and be our SS at the end of 2026.  And yet, I expect to see Culpepper shifted to 3B when Marek Houston keeps hitting and becomes our full-time SS sometime in 2027.

So where does this leave a guy like Cholowsky?  A guy that has been compared to Bobby Witt Jr?  And if Cholowsky has been compared to Bobby Witt Jr. then how can Brooks Lee's lack of athleticism even compare?  

This MLB draft should be pretty interesting.  

Easy.  It leaves Cholowsky our starting SS when he’s ready.  He will be the best Correa for the Twins but, hopefully won’t flame out like CC did!  He’s that good.  A SS with real power. The question becomes who will be the odd man out?  A good argument can be made for many, like Culpepper, Lee, Houston, Keaschall, and even Lewis to be traded out.
 

Hopefully one of these guys can move over to 1B (I’d vote Lewis if he finds his bat).  Maybe Lee.  

[tony&rodney]

Haven't seen any thoughts on why Cholowsky disappeared in the NCAA playoffs. There were likely a few articles I missed. It does raise questions.

The one truism is that the MLB draft is rarely a sure thing. Dylan Crews was supposed to waltz into MLB and hit right away. The challenge at the start of his career has been real for him.

Sure hope the Twins get lucky and that their pick is successful in a rapid fashion.

[mike8791]

Too many keep thinking the Twins are deep in pitching.  I don't buy it!  Right now, we have ONE reliable starter in Ryan, who probably(and should be) traded.  What earlier looked like a strong rotation is a mess now.  With Bradley, Mathews, and Ober looking shaky recently, Prielipp a big ? mark, and Lopez out, who will constitute the staff next year or in 2028?  Maybe Abel will fulfill his promise, But if contention is the goal for 2028, who would you count on?

I don't know if Flora is a sure bet but he seems to be head and shoulders above any other pitcher.  Finding a #1 or 2 starter is very difficult.  The Twins have not drafted one since, Radke.  While the Twins have many holes in their lineup, there are some  minor leaguers that look promising, especially in the OF.  Trading Ryan could bring a badly needed cleanup hitter back.  While the IF is a mess right now, they seem to have a group with high upsides(Culpepper, Houston + Lee/Lewis rebounding) that might contribute on a contending team.

It really comes down to choosing a SP or C in the draft.  All depends on the guesswork involved in which one is available and which candidate has the highest upside.  My pick would be Flora + resign Jeffers, but with this ownership mess, hardly likely, I'm afraid.

[chpettit19]

21 hours ago, Possumlad said:

I don't trust Roch's hit tool. My preference would be Emerson, Lackey, Flora in that order.

Why?

[Possumlad]

7 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

Why?

He's feasted against average college arms, but often struggles against real velocity or more premium stuff. Played poorly in the 2024 and 2025 Cape Cod leagues as one example. 

[chpettit19]

13 minutes ago, Possumlad said:

He's feasted against average college arms, but often struggles against real velocity or more premium stuff. Played poorly in the 2024 and 2025 Cape Cod leagues as one example. 

Interesting. Super small sample sizes, but not unreasonable. Although, I believe he played with Team USA in 2025, not the Cape league.

[Possumlad]

1 minute ago, chpettit19 said:

Interesting. Super small sample sizes, but not unreasonable. Although, I believe he played with Team USA in 2025, not the Cape league.

You're right, Cape Cod in 2024 and Team USA in 2025.