Minnesota Twins 2026 MLB Draft Picks: Rounds 16-20

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The early rounds of the MLB Draft are where organizations find their potential franchise players, but the later rounds are where scouting departments can truly separate themselves. These picks often require teams to identify traits that can be developed into something more.

Maybe it’s a pitcher with one dominant pitch but some command concerns. Maybe it’s a power hitter whose defensive home remains uncertain. Or maybe it’s a player who simply needs the right development environment to unlock his potential.

The Twins have found plenty of value outside the top rounds throughout franchise history. Kent Hrbek famously became a franchise icon after being selected in the 14th round. Taylor Rogers was an 11th-round pick who developed into an All-Star closer. Even Gene Larkin, whose pinch-hit heroics helped Minnesota win the 1991 World Series, was a 20th-round selection.

There is value to be found throughout the draft, and the Twins continued their search for future contributors in Rounds 16-20 of the 2026 MLB Draft.

16th Round, 467th Overall: RHP Connor Mattison, Kentucky

Mattison is a 6-foot-2, 195-pound right-handed pitcher with a history of missing bats. Before transferring to Kentucky, he spent two seasons at Grand Canyon, where he became one of the program’s most accomplished young pitchers. As a freshman, Mattison threw Grand Canyon’s first no-hitter in 42 years, striking out 10 batters against Sacramento State. He earned national recognition while finishing the season with a 12.5 K/9 rate and multiple weekly honors.

In 2025, Mattison continued to show swing-and-miss ability, leading the team with 41 strikeouts in just 33 1/3 innings while earning WAC Pitcher of the Week honors after throwing five shutout innings against Vanderbilt. The move to the SEC level at Kentucky proved more challenging. 

Mattison made 14 appearances (six starts) and posted an 8.10 ERA with a 1.53 WHIP. However, some underlying numbers suggest there could be more upside. His 6.33 FIP and .337 BABIP indicate some bad luck, while his strikeout rate remained above 20%. The Twins are betting that their pitching development staff can help Mattison recapture the dominant stuff he showed earlier in his career.

17th Round, 497th Overall: C Hideki Prather, California

Prather enters professional baseball as one of the more intriguing offensive profiles in this group. After limited playing time early in his college career, he broke out in 2026 with California. The catcher slashed .333/.421/.632 (1.053) with 14 home runs and 17 doubles across 52 games. He posted a .299 ISO, a 10.8% walk rate, and a 123 wRC+, showing impressive power and plate discipline.

Prather missed the 2024 season because of injury and saw limited action at Clemson before transferring. That lack of consistent catching experience means he still has development ahead of him defensively, particularly with receiving and game-calling responsibilities. The bat gives him a chance to climb quickly if the Twins can help him continue developing behind the plate.

18th Round, 527th Overall: RHP Colter McAnelly, Utah

McAnelly brings plenty of starting experience to the Twins organization after serving as Utah’s Friday night starter during his final two collegiate seasons. In 2025, he earned All-Big 12 First Team honors after making 14 starts and posting a 3.79 ERA across 92 2/3 innings. He struck out 92 batters, averaged 8.9 K/9, and ranked among the conference leaders in innings pitched and opponent batting average.

McAnelly followed that performance with another solid season in 2026, recording 70 strikeouts over 67⅓ innings. He finished his Utah career ranked fourth all-time in program history with 207 strikeouts. The right-hander has experience handling a starter’s workload and has consistently shown the ability to generate swings and misses. His next challenge will be translating that success against professional hitters.

19th Round, 557th Overall: SS PJ Moutzouridis, Arizona State

Moutzouridis gives the Twins another athletic middle-infield option with a strong approach at the plate. In 55 games with Arizona State in 2026, he hit .286/.410/.417 (.827) with 14 extra-base hits. His 13.0% walk rate and 15.0% strikeout rate highlighted his advanced approach, while his .131 ISO and 94 wRC+ showed room for additional offensive growth.

Before transferring to Arizona State, Moutzouridis spent time at California, where he emerged as one of the better young shortstops in the country. He earned Freshman All-American and All-Pac-12 honors after starting all 55 games at shortstop. Moutzouridis has the defensive foundation and plate discipline that teams look for in middle infielders. If the power develops, he could become an interesting organizational piece.

20th Round, 587th Overall: RHP Michael Barnett, UCLA

Barnett gives the Twins another experienced college starter with a proven track record of durability and winning. Over four seasons at UCLA, he compiled a 24-3 record, finishing eighth in program history in career victories while serving as a key member of the Bruins' weekend rotation.

His best season came in 2025 when he earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors after leading the conference with 12 wins, posting a 3.98 ERA over 86 innings with 75 strikeouts and an impressive 75-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He followed that with another productive senior season in 2026, going 6-0 with a 4.18 ERA across a team-high 71 innings while helping UCLA go 15-1 in his starts.

Barnett struck out 58 batters and allowed one earned run or fewer in seven of his 16 outings. While he doesn't possess overpowering velocity, his experience, command, and ability to throw strikes give him a chance to move quickly through the Twins' system as organizational pitching depth with the potential to develop into more.

The final five rounds of the draft are about finding players with one or two standout traits and trusting the development system to maximize their potential. Whether it's power stuff, defensive versatility, or an advanced approach at the plate, the Twins added several intriguing bets. History has shown that impactful big leaguers can come from anywhere in the draft, and Minnesota will hope one of these late-round selections becomes the next hidden gem.

What stands out about the players in this group? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

View full article

[HerbieFan]

Seriously.  Are they just going to draft ALL of the college RHP??

[Sampson5]

Curious why they didn't take a chance on any lefty pitchers . Also a little weird this draft is pretty much all college guys thought they'd at least grab a few hs guys more so on day 1 since taking them on day 2 is pretty risky since always gotta massively overpay for them to sign 

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, Sampson5 said:

Curious why they didn't take a chance on any lefty pitchers . Also a little weird this draft is pretty much all college guys thought they'd at least grab a few hs guys more so on day 1 since taking them on day 2 is pretty risky since always gotta massively overpay for them to sign 

They have drafted a few, but not have signed any of them. 

[old nurse]

Since the Falvey regime took over the picks after number 10 have produced Festa, Varland and Ober as valuable players, Then there is Helman, Funderburk, Julian, Laweryson, Fedko, and Ohl, as useful players Ley us hope that Paredes will be added to the first part of the list rather than the latter list.  

[DocBauer]

2 hours ago, Sampson5 said:

Curious why they didn't take a chance on any lefty pitchers . Also a little weird this draft is pretty much all college guys thought they'd at least grab a few hs guys more so on day 1 since taking them on day 2 is pretty risky since always gotta massively overpay for them to sign 

They do draft lefties, but not as many as I'd prefer. Funderburk 2ad one of the earliest. Jaylin Nowlin in Wichita's bullpen was a late rounder with some electric stuff who may or may not have a career in the pen. They picked a pair fairly high in 2021 in Steve Hajjar and Cade Povich, though they were later traded.

Of course, Prielipp and Hill are a couple of recent, highly drafted arms. Michael Carpenter is a young arm with promise drafted in 2024, debuted last year, but has only recently started pitching this season due to injury.

Last year they drafted Matthew Becker in the 19th round.

I know there have been others, but that's just a few I can recall. 

I really wish they'd take a few more shots. Even if they don't end up with a Prielipp very often, you still need to find some LH arms for your bullpen. So they take shots, just ad not many as they should, IMO. Not a single one this year is surprising and disappointing. 

 

 

[7r4de me]

So did the twins show their trade deadline hand by drafting nothing but pitchers and catchers? A bunch of outgoing pitching prospects for bullpen and/or starter arms? Jeffers not staying long (if he even makes it beyond the trade deadline)?

[Mike Sixel]

40 minutes ago, 7r4de me said:

So did the twins show their trade deadline hand by drafting nothing but pitchers and catchers? A bunch of outgoing pitching prospects for bullpen and/or starter arms? Jeffers not staying long (if he even makes it beyond the trade deadline)?

I don't think any of that shows anything. Neither catcher they drafted will be in MN next year, and you need like 20 pitchers every year.

[DocBauer]

Is Mattison a late round steal? While a smaller school, Grand Canyon has a pretty good reputation as a baseball program and he did well there. He did NOT find the SEC very inviting, however. Not a big surprise there. I wonder if he will be a tough sign? A return to Kentucky for his senior year might show significant improvement. But as a senior, just how much better might be his draft stock? Enough to move in to the top 10 rounds and enter the bonus pool category? What if he gets hurt? Or being a senior, maybe he's pitched underslot $? So maybe he signs anyway.

I don't dislike a 3rd catcher in Prather. It sounds like he's pretty raw defensively, but California isn't a bad program and his bat looks pretty good. But he provides a low A prospect, and they certainly need catchers there as well. He sounds like the next version of Cossetti, drafted for his bat with the hope the defense will come around. Cossetti's bat hit a wall at AA until this season when it started to find life again. His future remains in doubt. And I don't like comparing a recent draftee directly, he just reminds me of him. If he ever reaches MLB, it's going to be a long road. But the MILB system needs catchers at the lower levels as well. He's a long term project, but his bat might carry him forward initially. It will be his development as a backstop that determines his future.

Everything about McAnelly says solid career, record setting for a lower level Big 12 program, solid results, and apparently the ability to "pitch". So command and control appear to be there. But is there any velocity? Does he have any sort of OUT pitch in his repertoire? Currently, I'm seeing a guy who might do well initially and then hit a wall at AA if they can't add MPH and retool his secondaries. But control/command is something to work with.

When a college SS can't hit above .300 I really wonder about his potential. Moutzouridis sounds like a glove first SS with good zone recognition, and the ability to get OB. Sounds like he has at least a little pop potential in his bat. He'd better or all the good contact, zone control, OBP, and solid defense still will have him eaten alive after a couple of seasons. The Twins always seem to draft a glove 1st SS who is athletic with a questionable bat every year. At least this time, they waited until late. 

I read/heard somewhere that the Twins wouldn't end the draft without picking at least 1 player from UCLA. Well, they got it in Barnett. And the truth is he had a great career for a TOP program in the country. IMO, he and Mattison, and McAnelly are all the same basic pitcher. Great college careers, and some very good career numbers for their colleges. But other than command/control, where is the ONE PITCH that entices future development? That's really the key isn't it? Command and control are awesome! But there's usually SOMETHING a pitcher has that the Twins sort of hang their hat on in regard to the "clay" they think they can mold. 

I have ZERO problem with a bat first development catcher in the lower rounds. I have doubts SS Moutzouridis has a future unless he uncorks more pop/power. But if ONE of Mattison, McAnelly, or Barnett is suddenly throwing 95 a year from now with a quality slider/sweeper/cutter as a solid secondary, they might stumble on a potential late round steal. And isn't that we always hope for at this point in the draft?

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

10 hours ago, DocBauer said:

 Great college careers, and some very good career numbers for their colleges. But other than command/control, where is the ONE PITCH that entices future development? That's really the key isn't it? Command and control are awesome! But there's usually SOMETHING a pitcher has that the Twins sort of hang their hat on in regard to the "clay" they think they can mold. 

LOL - say what you will the Twins drafter every version of a pitcher they could find - much more variability than prior years except an elite pitching prospect like prior years.  

Solid pitcher with good stuff good control well rounded - Renfrow

High upside prospect - Wachsmann 

High Velocity - primarily 2 good pitches with command/control issues (Reliever risk and high variability) - Lapour Murdock Burns    - Scouting Director said they viewed Lapour as a 1st round pitcher (which is interesting)

Senior sign - bonus savings solid Pitcher limited upside- Lay, Klecker

Pitchers with 1 elite pitch - Bayles, 

Tall Lanky Pitcher to refine - Raab  

Control Pitchers who currently have nothing elite - need velocity and at least 1 elite pitch -  Bouchard, Mattison Moutzouridiis, Barnett

The Twins this year had much more variability in their pitching prospects this year.  I hope it works out.  The last 2 years drafts other than the elite picks have not added a ton so far to the minors.  Some due to injuries some due to underperformance.  I think the Twins lost a key pitching coach a couple of years ago.   I truly hope some of these guys figure it out.