Final Mock Draft: With The 3rd Overall Pick, The Twins Draft The Best Prep Bat In The Class

[Jamie Cameron]

Image courtesy of © Brett Davis-Imagn Images

I take MLB mock draft rankings from major industry outlets like MLB Pipeline, ESPN, The Athletic (and many others) to form a consensus board, with a working hypothesis that using this approach will eliminate some of the noise and variance in MLB Draft mock rankings. This is the final mock draft board, locked in just before the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday, July 11.

Round 1: Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS, TX

Emerson is a UT commit and the number one prep prospect in the 2026 class. There might be a little prospect fatigue with Emerson by draft day, as he's been well known since he was 15, and there's less transparency around both data and benchmarks for the top prep prospects in the country. Make no mistake, though, Emerson is a prize in this draft. He might be the best overall hitter in it. It's a relaxed setup, a direct, short left-handed swing, and some adjustability that allows Emerson to keep his barrel in the zone as long as possible and take what he's given by a pitcher. Everything is good here, offensively. During the 2025 summer showcase circuit, Emerson showcased strong bat-to-ball skills, excellent swing decisions, and improved bat speed that indicates above-average power may be on the way. Emerson is a plus runner, to boot. Defensively, he has all the ingredients to stick at the position, with a strong glove, excellent throwing arm, and a good level of defensive polish for his age at the position. Emerson should be one of the first names off the board in July.

Round 2: Brody Bumila, LHP, Bishop Feehan HS, MA

Draft aficionados will be used to the concept of a cold-weather arm rising throughout the cycle. They don't all look like Brody Bumila, though. The 6'9 two-sport star committed to Texas has been making waves this spring. As you might expect from such a unique frame, there's unique stuff to match. Bumila relies on a fastball that has been as high as 101 mph. It sits in the high 90s, coming at hitters from a drop and drive delivery and a lower launch, with good ride at the top of the zone, making it a nightmare for prep hitters in MA. There's plenty of work to do on the secondary arsenal. Bumila relies most heavily on a changeup, thrown in the low 80s, but he'll mix in a slider and a curveball, too. This is a size and stuff over polish prep arm in what could be one of the higher risk, higher reward plays of the entire class. NOTE: Bumila is dealing with a UCL injury that became public on 07.06. It's unclear the extent of the injury, but it will certainly cloud his draft status.

Competitive Balance Round B: Brett Renfrow, RHP, Virginia Tech

Renfrow was previously a two-way player who began to focus solely on pitching when he got to campus at Virginia Tech. This is a class draft 'type', a college starter where stuff and production haven't quite met. I'd classify Renfrow as someone with a significant 'up arrow' this spring, though. It's a good frame, and he's about to surpass 70 innings for the third consecutive season. Renfrow has slowly ticked up his strikeout rate while reducing his walk rate, exactly what you want to see. In terms of stuff, the fastball is good. It sits at 94 mph and has been up to 97 mph, playing well at the top of the zone. There's a slider/cutter hybrid he throws in the upper 80s, a curveball with plenty of depth that sits in the low 80s, and a changeup with good horizontal action. Renfrow is a pitcher you can see making significant strides in a pro organization. There are plenty of starter traits here. In 73.2 innings in 2026, Renfrow managed a 4.67 FIP, while striking out 27.7% of hitters and walking just 7.9%.

Round 3: Ethan Kleinschmidt, LHP, Oregon State

Kleinschmidt was a JUCO lefty who transferred to Oregon State after his freshman year. Since then, he's been a mainstay in the Beavers' rotation, posting with consistency as a supplement to otherworldly righty Dax Whitney. Kleinschmidt has a long arm stroke from the left side of the plate. His fastball has been up to 95 mph with good tail, but typically sits in the 90-93 mph range. There's an above-average slider and changeup in the mix, too, along with the ability to throw strikes with consistency. Kleinschmidt has produced consistently strong results in two seasons for the Beavers. If he's able to add some more strength and get an uptick in velocity as a pro, he has starter traits. In 2026, he managed a 4.11 FIP, striking out 29.7% of hitters while walking 8.3% in 77 innings of work.

Round 4: Savion Sims, RHP, Prestonwood Christian Academy HS, TX

Sims has some of the best raw pitching clay in the class. He's a 6'8 right-handed pitcher out of Texas, committed to Oklahoma, who will be 19 on draft day. The lanky frame and long limbs produce ridiculous velocity with ease. Sims has been over 100 mph with his fastball, and it'll comfortably sit 96-97 mph. His secondary arsenal requires work; there's a two-plane slider he throws in the mid-80s and a high-80s changeup. Both of his secondary pitches have somewhat inconsistent shapes. There are delivery traits to like too, as Sims can get to 7 plus feet of extension down the mound and creates a steepness in his delivery after raising his arm slot. Sims will be a slow burn, and there's a ton of work to do on the arsenal, but this is uncommon arm talent,

Curious to see the players around the Minnesota Twins' picks in the draft? Click on the button below to view the entire mock draft board!

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[DasBat]

I would be really happy with this.  The only one I don't like is Sims, especially if they go with Bumila earlier.  I don't mind one super high risk/raw hs pitcher, but two seems like too many on the first day.

[LyleCole]

For what it is worth, this is my mock draft.  It is basically compiled the same way as the above because it have very limited independent information.

Round 1.     It is Roch Cholowsky-Vahn Lackey-Grady Emerson via process of elimination.  Don't try anything fancy, daring, or risky.  Don't try to save pool money so we can draft a high bonus player in a later round.  This is considered a 3 player top tier draft almost by consensus, pick one of the top 3.

Round 2 Pick 43    Ben Blair   RHP  Liberty    He seems like a Twins type of starter.  There might be a couple of other college pitchers I would pick ahead of him but he seems to have a lot of intriguing pitches and I like his funky delivery,   Keith Law ranked #60

Comp B Pick 74   Aiden Robbins  OF  Texas  Law ranked 86.  But has MLB has him as #29.  One of those multitude of MLB draft prospects with wide range of outside ranking.  But, he led the Cap in average, slugging percentage and OPS and I value the wooden bat data.

Round 3, Pick 79  Ruger Riojas   RHP  Texas   I like his pitch mix and I think his floor is a decent setup reliever in the majors.  He is a senior prospect that can perhaps be signed for somewhat under slot.

I understand the OP's methodology, but there is no way the Twins should select high school pitchers in any draft.  Our track record of developing HS pitchers that are our original draft picks is mediocre at best.   The only current pitcher drafted by the Twins on the roster (of course on disabled list) is Marco Raya.  Since 2008 draft, the only drafted HS pitchers that have pitched for the Twins at the MLB level have been the aforementioned Raya (6 innings this season then to the 15 day IL).   Jovani Moran drafted 2015.  Jose Berrios drafted 2012.  Michael Tonkin drafted 2008.

They have most certainly have had a college arm preference, but have used high picks on Landon Leach and Blayne Enlow, and I would argue that of the HS pitchers drafted by the Twins most are struggling.  Charlie Soto (injured).  Dasan HIll.  Dylan Questad.  From 2017 not a huge sample size it is true, but very limited results is also true.