Twins Select Carson Tinney With The 43rd Pick In 2026 MLB Draft

[Taylor Leonard]

Image courtesy of © Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins selected Carson Tinney 43rd overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. Tinney played for Notre Dame and the University of Texas at Austin. He was ranked 61st in our mock draft, slashing .326/.483/.688 offensively for the Longhorns. 

Here is a summary of Tinney written by our draft expert, Jamie Cameron.

Notre Dame transfer Carson Tinney is a different profile of player, with more whiff in his offensive profile and more defensive uncertainty. Despite this, it's an incredibly impressive production after transferring to Texas and facing SEC competition his junior season. Tinney has significant swing-and-miss issues with his hit tool, but it's legitimate 70-grade raw power. He's posted exit velocities north of 115 mph in 2026, in addition to 22 home runs in 61 games. 

While he strikes out a lot (23.1%), his hit tool concerns are somewhat mitigated by a walk rate of 19.2%.. Defensively, it's huge arm strength. Like many other large-framed catchers, Tinney struggles with some of the nimbleness and adaptability of movement behind the plate. Outside of controlling the running game, the whole defensive package needs work. Even so, it's 30 home run potential that could find a home at first base if the catching doesn't stick.

The Minnesota Twins secured a major organizational upgrade by selecting Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey with the No. 3 overall pick and Texas catcher Carson Tinney at No. 43 overall. This strategic emphasis on premium backstops injects high-impact depth, defensive versatility, and immense power into the franchise's pipeline.

Drafting premium catching talent is always a high-risk, high-reward strategy, but the Twins have focused - intentionally or not - on acquiring catcher depth since the 2025 trade deadline. If even one of these prospects hits their ceiling, the Twins have secured a foundational piece for their next championship window.

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[nova_twins]

Kinda weird imo to take two right hand hitting catchers with the first two selections. They do seem to have some kind of long term interest in a utility role that includes 3rd catcher along with other positions so maybe he's an upgraded version of Ricardo Olivar. 

[DocBauer]

Full confession, my knee-jerk reaction was WTH? Wasted pick! It just caught me SO off guard. But I quickly relaxed after I heard Jamie do a more complete breakdown.

NOTE: Basic Twins draft principle has usually been there are arms with potential to develop, but TOP BATS tend to disappear after the first couple of rounds.

NOTE 2: Jeffers was a surprise 2nd round pick that wasn't rated that high and they turned out pretty well with that pick. (Seth pointed this one out).

NOTE 3: Tait and Jiminez are each very, very young and 2-3yrs away. Diaw has great athleticism and bat potential, but he's still rough around the edges as a catcher. I still like him if he can/will put in the develop work necessary. 

So Tinney is a big guy who might not move the best, but is a big target and has a really strong arm. Despite some HIT concerns, he BB a lot, and it sounds like his hit&miss is still within the zone. That would seem to indicate some HIT potential and decent recognition skill. His hard rate contact and SLG numbers are all in the top 5-6% of college bats this season. So the 70 power ranking seems to be for real.

I'm a big believer in drafting and developing CATCHERS every single draft. So I can't really dislike selecting another catcher when it's such an important position, and often ignored, or at least undervalued for sure. And not just by the Twins. Really good catchers are hard to come by. Just think about how concerned many are about a possible loss of Jackson at this point.

A backup catcher behind Lackey with a strong arm and big power suddenly doesn't sound like such a bad idea when you consider ALL of these factors. And there's room for him to DH and maybe play some 1B as well.

I think it would be a major mistake to say he's another Sabato. Maybe another Jeffers-like catcher would be more accurate. 

I'm not certain that I would have made this selection, but reflection after my initial knee-jerk reaction has me understanding why they went this route. I can see the reasoning for a 2nd catcher and a BIG BAT that has the potential to move around some.

 

 

[LyleCole]

I don't think Tinney is destined to be a catcher in the Twins organization.  He might play some games there, but I think he is a 1B and DH guy going forward.   With a lot of DHing.   

Do we another Aaron Sabato type of guy with the only added premium being some chance behind the plate?   Hopefully he can improve his bat to ball skills and use the huge power he has.

I would have taken Ben Blair, a RHP from Liberty, who was selected 49th.  

[Nashvilletwin]

Sabato - Part Deux.

Same bet; similar risk. 

[Mike Sixel]

4 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Sabato - Part Deux.

Same bet; similar risk. 

Ya. Not what I'd have done at all. They totally moved away from this profile the last few years early ..

[weitz41]

17 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

Full confession, my knee-jerk reaction was WTH? Wasted pick! It just caught me SO off guard. But I quickly relaxed after I heard Jamie do a more complete breakdown.

NOTE: Basic Twins draft principle has usually been there are arms with potential to develop, but TOP BATS tend to disappear after the first couple of rounds.

NOTE 2: Jeffers was a surprise 2nd round pick that wasn't rated that high and they turned out pretty well with that pick. (Seth pointed this one out).

NOTE 3: Tait and Jiminez are each very, very young and 2-3yrs away. Diaw has great athleticism and bat potential, but he's still rough around the edges as a catcher. I still like him if he can/will put in the develop work necessary. 

So Tinney is a big guy who might not move the best, but is a big target and has a really strong arm. Despite some HIT concerns, he BB a lot, and it sounds like his hit&miss is still within the zone. That would seem to indicate some HIT potential and decent recognition skill. His hard rate contact and SLG numbers are all in the top 5-6% of college bats this season. So the 70 power ranking seems to be for real.

I'm a big believer in drafting and developing CATCHERS every single draft. So I can't really dislike selecting another catcher when it's such an important position, and often ignored, or at least undervalued for sure. And not just by the Twins. Really good catchers are hard to come by. Just think about how concerned many are about a possible loss of Jackson at this point.

A backup catcher behind Lackey with a strong arm and big power suddenly doesn't sound like such a bad idea when you consider ALL of these factors. And there's room for him to DH and maybe play some 1B as well.

I think it would be a major mistake to say he's another Sabato. Maybe another Jeffers-like catcher would be more accurate. 

I'm not certain that I would have made this selection, but reflection after my initial knee-jerk reaction has me understanding why they went this route. I can see the reasoning for a 2nd catcher and a BIG BAT that has the potential to move around some.

 

 

Not too excited about this pick myself. After the 1st round and the last trade deadline C has some real depth. From the outside looking in. I see a 1B (eventually). Now don't get me wrong we should and could use one like him right now. but 2-4 years from now. Not so sure. I would have preferred a pitcher with 2 plus pitches.

[Danchat]

If there's belief that Tinney sticks at catcher, maybe they can use Tait as a premium trade chip in the future? Not that I don't believe in Tait, it's just that other teams are usually lacking with catcher depth and now they've invested into it heavily. Maybe something like doing the next version of the Sonny Gray / Pablo Lopez trade and using Tait as the main prospect with the anticipation of Joe Ryan being traded sooner or later.

[ashbury]

I like drafting catchers in the early rounds (just, not high first-round unless you feel certain you are getting a near-HOFer).  

With the strong arm, I was thinking RF more than 1B, if the concerns about being behind the plate prove correct.  Who wouldn't love to lock up the next Matt Wallner, after all?

As with all players whose defense up-the-middle is suspect, it will come down to the bat, and in particular the hit tool to unlock the power.  

[HerbieFan]

Would like to see them adding more speed and athleticism this high in the draft.  This kid profiles more like a 1B to me

[DocBauer]

16 minutes ago, weitz41 said:

Not too excited about this pick myself. After the 1st round and the last trade deadline C has some real depth. From the outside looking in. I see a 1B (eventually). Now don't get me wrong we should and could use one like him right now. but 2-4 years from now. Not so sure. I would have preferred a pitcher with 2 plus pitches.

I would have gone P as well. But MOST of the college P I really liked were gone, as expected, even though I was hoping for the best.

There were still a couple I still liked, but I'm sure the Twins draft board is very different than me as a very amateur GM. And their NEXT TIER apparently showed a collection of arms that just didn't mesh with MY opinion.

I think we all have to remember that the FO knows a hell of a lot more than we do. So an arm we see ranked at a certain point doesn't mean the Twins see enough of a difference from the next group.

[weitz41]

Agree, but my lazy boy says otherwise. 😉

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

37 minutes ago, Danchat said:

If there's belief that Tinney sticks at catcher, maybe they can use Tait as a premium trade chip in the future? Not that I don't believe in Tait, it's just that other teams are usually lacking with catcher depth and now they've invested into it heavily. Maybe something like doing the next version of the Sonny Gray / Pablo Lopez trade and using Tait as the main prospect with the anticipation of Joe Ryan being traded sooner or later.

This was my thought on a car ride home. I would not be surprised to see Tait flipped at the deadline and potentially for a reliever with multiple years of control. Who knows though. It’s a similar profile though and we can flip the more risky Tait for an asset now and still have immense catching depth in the minors. 

Many really wanted Ike Irish last year in the first round last year and other than Irish having better wood bat league stats, they seem extremely similar. The Twins have a pretty good system in place to improve defensive metrics, so I think there is a high probability he sticks behind the plate. 

[Dman]

Was wondering/hoping this was a money saving move.  There’s a lot of players i would have liked there.  I think Ty Head would have been nice there as the system feels low on center field bats.  Lot’s of arms I liked in that spot as well.

i don’t mind doubling down on catchers, if he even ends up a catcher, but would have liked to see more athleticism picking at 43.  I love the power and the walk rate means he has a chance to force pitchers to throw it over the plate.  Strong arm is nice as well.  Obviously the Twins are more bullish on the hit tool than consensus. 

it just doesn’t seem like a pick to make at 43, but I was wrong when they made the Jeffers pick so we’ll see how this one turns out.  Hoping for good things.

[Coach]

2 hours ago, Danchat said:

If there's belief that Tinney sticks at catcher, maybe they can use Tait as a premium trade chip in the future? Not that I don't believe in Tait, it's just that other teams are usually lacking with catcher depth and now they've invested into it heavily. Maybe something like doing the next version of the Sonny Gray / Pablo Lopez trade and using Tait as the main prospect with the anticipation of Joe Ryan being traded sooner or later.

Morneau was drafted as a catcher and switched to first base the next year. 

[jkcarew]

Plus arm (even for a catcher). I don’t think they’ll be in a hurry to move him off until he proves he doesn’t have the receiving skills.

Wouldn’t be surprised if the herd is thinned a bit at the deadline…one of Oliver, Diaw, Jimenez, Tait…

IF they consider him a catcher, I don’t see this as a Sabato comp at all. The only chance Sabato ever had was to hit spectacularly. Even as he is, If Sabato was an average-ish defensive catcher, instead of a poor first-baseman, he’d be a very legit prospect right now…probably with at least one shot in the majors by now.

[twinstalker]

This is a really bad pick and, worse, it's far earlier than he was supposed to go.  It's super obvious, and I'm not sure I want to go through this all again.  First, did we need a catcher?  I realize that you don't draft for need, but why would you prioritize a catcher after just taking one?  Because he's going to be good?  He's not going to be good, he's not going to be able to hit at all.  A K rate of 23% in college is like 30% in AA is like 40% in MLB.  And it's not just striking out that will be the problem in MLB.  He'll be partially hitting the ball when he does.  Keith Law says he has no chance at the majors if he can't stay at catcher, suggesting that it's possible he won't even be able to stay at the position!

This was perhaps the worst pick possible, and it extends a trend of the Twins doing this sort of thing.  Please, let Sean Johnson go.  My weird guess here is the Twins thought they'd get one of the top 2, and they had some sort of agreement with this guy to take him in the second round as a money-saving measure to paying other picks while getting a guy they think can catch.  Knowing they would have to pay slot to the top 2.

[twinstalker]

31 minutes ago, Coach said:

Morneau was drafted as a catcher and switched to first base the next year. 

Not sure of the point here.  This guy won't hit.  No way.

You were responding to a comment about trading Tait for good value.  Tait had his 15 minutes at the end of 2024.  The excitement about him was fading when the Twins acquired him.  Right now nobody would want him, except for maybe a meh middle reliever they're dumping after the season anyway.  Maybe a little more.

There's no reason to take a guy like this.  If you need catching depth you take a college guy later.  He better be way under slot, though I don't like that strategy, either.

[twinstalker]

3 hours ago, HerbieFan said:

Would like to see them adding more speed and athleticism this high in the draft.  This kid profiles more like a 1B to me

A much, much worse hitting 1B than Sabato's ever been, and he's been bad.

[Wedman13]

17 minutes ago, twinstalker said:

A much, much worse hitting 1B than Sabato's ever been, and he's been bad.

3 identical posts hammering on a kid with 22hrs in 60 games.... playing for Notre Dame then in the SEC.  And Tait now sucks too! :)

 

We understand your frustration Mr. Spock, but breathe.

[DataNerd]

From a team-building perspective, I don't like the pick.  You now have 1 elite and 1 good C prospect, and 43 is a good spot to take shots at top pitching without giving up lots of expected value.  Would have preferred Edwards/Blair/Mendes.

My toy draft model really liked him though.

[Blyleven2011]

I was traveling and when I heard on the radio the 3 draft choice the twins made I had to make sure i heard that right , I went to draft tracker and yep I heard it right  , we drafted a second catcher in round 2 , it was a head scratcher to say the least ...

Tinney most likely will start in rookie ball as catcher where lackey the more  polished catcher will start in A÷  , I've read Tinney's profile and he doesn't  sound like a 2nd round pick to me , the tools are weak except for raw power ...

Hope they have done better with the comp pick ,  3rd and 4th round selections  ...

Develop him right and maybe he is the one that gets traded  ...

We've been wanting catching in our system for years and now we have 2 more added to Tait and Jimenez ...

It's a head scratcher but I guess the FO finally gave us fans what we wanted more catching ...

[LyleCole]

5 hours ago, DocBauer said:

 

I'm a big believer in drafting and developing CATCHERS every single draft. So I can't really dislike selecting another catcher when it's such an important position, and often ignored, or at least undervalued for sure. And not just by the Twins. Really good catchers are hard to come by. Just think about how concerned many are about a possible loss of Jackson at this point.

 

 

 

The Twins have drafted catches just about every draft.

2025  Ryan Sprock  8th round traded for a 35 year old reliever

2024  Khadim Diaw  3rd round (AA)  Infamous Derek Bender  6th round

2023  none

2022  Andrew Cossetti  11th round (AA) Nate Baez  12th round

2021  Noah Cardenas  8th round (AAA)  Pat Winkel  9th round

2020  none  -  only 5 round covid draft

2019  none

2018 Ryan Jeffers  2nd round  (MLB)  Charles Mack  6th round  Chris Williams  8th round 

 

They also have three other catchers in the system:

Ricardo Olivare  signed Venezuala  (AAA)

Eduardo Tait acquired in trade (A+) 

Enrique Jimenez acquired in trade (A+)

 

I dont think the evidence indicates the Twins have neglected the position.  It just has been a very uncertain yield on the position since they selected Jeffers.  And, although unlike other professional sports draft position is not as big of a factor in selecting when you have a Joe Mauer or even to a lesser extend Ryan Jeffers, the position is not draft critical.

If the Twins drafted Carson Tinney as a backup catcher,  as you mention (I think somewhat in passing), then I think it is a worse pick than I thought.  That is just undershooting the draft value by a lot and you have to hope that someone currently in the system like Eduardo Tait or Khiam Diaw can at least develop into the #2 catcher role behind Lackey.  

And that is another issue I have with the selection.  Again, while positional value really has a lower premium in the MLB draft,  if TInney is going to be developed as a catcher there are a lot of younger guys (Tait is just 19 and Enrique Jimenez just 20) that will have some of their development reps removed as they work through the system at almost the same level as Tinney.

Lastly, I think the best way to maximize Tinney's development is to move him down, way down, the defensive spectrum.  One draft analyst basically noted his position was "Batters Box".  Let him concentrate on hitting the baseball instead of putting on the gear or even having to learn a new position.   

 

 

[Andy MacPhail]

Many rank catchers high because they have high raw power while striking out a lot & are  poor behind the plate & then many don't make it. Then they critize teams for taking a real deal catcher high in the draft, saying high ranking catchers are risky. Lackey is the real deal, Tinny is not. IMO, Tinney doesn't make it, especially as a catcher. Tinney was no where near on my radar. I'd have targetted a SP.

 

[DJL44]

I saw the Matt Wallner comp above. Miguel Sano could be another comp. Two tools - power and arm.

[Old Twins Hat]

Maybe the Twins see a RH Schwarber in this guy, kind of like Sabato is now.

Oops.