2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Tracker: Picks & Bonuses

In final draft rankings, Lackey was ranked 3rd by MLB, 3rd by ESPN, and 1st by FanGraphs.

The Twins selected Vahn Lackey with the third overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. Lackey is a catcher from Georgia Tech. Slot value for the pick is $9,740,100. Lackey was ranked #2 on our MLB Draft Consensus Board. In 2026, Lackey slashed .397/.519/.772 (1.291) with 20 home runs (39 extra-base hits) while walking 17.7% of the time, and only striking out at a 13.4% clip. He also posted an outrageous 170 wRC+, showcasing just how well-rounded of a hitter he is. Here’s what our write-up of Lackey by Jamie Cameron from our MLB Draft Consensus Board said of Lackey.

Every draft cycle seems to produce 2-3 first-round catchers, most of whom have warts offensively, defensively, or both. Georgia Tech's Vahn Lackey may be the most complete college catcher in recent seasons and has a case to make as college baseball’s most improved player in 2026. 

Lackey entered 2026 viewed as an excellent defensive catcher, with athleticism uncommon for the position, in addition to having strong bat-to-ball skills. He’s continued to look excellent behind the plate, with good receiving and blocking skills, an excellent arm, and strong pop and transfer times. He has all the ingredients to be a plus defensive catcher. 

Offensively, his power has taken a step forward. After hitting 6 home runs in 60 games in 2025, he managed 20 in 61 games in 2026, with more walks than strikeouts, adding a high on-base floor to his profile. Lackey ended 2026 hitting .397/.519/.772 with 39 extra base hits, a 17.7 BB%, a 13.4 K%, and 15 steals (94%). Simply put, he’s one of the most complete profiles in this draft class.

Lackey becomes the Twins’ first catcher selected in round one since Joe Mauer in 2001. Given the fact that Roch Cholowsky and Grady Emerson went with the first two picks, this was a no-brainer for the Twins. Lackey will immediately become one of Minnesota’s top prospects, giving the team a pair of elite catching prospects along with Eduardo Tait. Jeremy Zoll's first draft is off to a promising start.

What do you think of the pick? Add your thoughts in the comments.

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.

In the Competitive B round, the Minnesota Twins select right-handed pitcher  Brett Renfrow for the 74th pick. Renfrow is a Junior at Virginia Tech and was ranked consistently in the top 100 college prospects. In 2026, Renfrow registered a 27.7% strikeout rate, flashing a massive uptick in his ability to miss bats as he racked up 88 punchouts over just 73.2 frames.

Here is more info on Renfrow from our draft expert, Jamie Cameron.

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%.

Compared to the flashier, high-velocity pitchers in the 2026 draft, Brett Renfrow stands out as a lower-risk college starter. By selecting a strike-throwing right-hander with an ACC pedigree, the front office adds pitching depth to complement their offensive picks. If the Twins' development process can successfully unlock a bit more swing-and-miss capability from his secondary stuff, Renfrow could be a successful major leaguer.

The Minnesota Twins have selected Ethan Wachsmann with the No. 79 overall pick in the MLB Draft. Slot value for the No. 79 pick is $1,052,700. 

Wachsmann, a Wake Forest commit, may garner over slot value, according to MLB Draft experts. The right-hander had an outstanding senior season at Grandview High School, posting a 6-2 record with a 2.10 ERA and 66 strikeouts across 36 2/3 innings. Here's what our draft expert Jamie Cameron had to say about Wachsman.

Wachsmann is a sharp riser on the draft board this spring. A CO prep arm hailing from the same high school program as Kevin Gausman, it's a fascinating blend of size and stuff, with plenty of rawness still present. Wachsman's fastball has touched triple digits already; it'll more routinely sit in the 94-96 mph range in the middle innings. He's added a cutter that sits in the high 80s this season as a bridge to the rest of his arsenal. While the velocity is excellent, there's work to do on both the control and command of his arsenal, which are currently fringe-average. Wachsman will fire off a breaking ball that can be slurvy but exhibits good spin rates. There's a changeup that he sells well with good arm speed and velocity separation from his fastball. It'll be worth monitoring the strike-throwing if a team can pry him away from his Wake Forest commitment, but if he can round out his arsenal with better breaking pitch shapes, he'll be a tough look for hitters.

The Minnesota Twins have selected Tommy LaPour with the 107th overall pick in the MLB Draft. Slot value for the pick is $733,100. LaPour, a right-hander out of TCU, will join a Twins organization that lacks elite right-handed pitching prospects.

Here's what our draft expert Jamie Cameron has to say about LaPour.

Tommy LaPour was a decorated athlete out of high school in Missouri (football, baseball, wrestling). After spending a season at Wichita State, he transferred to TCU ahead of the 2025 season and put together a 4.01 FIP in over 90 innings of work in the Horned Frogs' rotation. LaPour has excellent arm talent, throwing his fastball in the 95-98 mph range, although it's been up to triple digits. It tends to perform poorly, due to its ordinary shape and spotty control and command. There's an above-average two-plane slider and a solid changeup to round out his mix. LaPour was limited to just 17 innings in 2026, missing a ton of time due to elbow soreness. He managed a 6.46 FIP while striking out 21.3% of hitters and walking 12.5%. This is a prospect for whom recent performance and arm talent didn't align. The right pro system and development could see him develop into a starter, with a high-leverage reliever as a fallback option.

The Minnesota Twins have selected RHP Steele Murdock with their 5th round pick at 139th overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. The slot value for the pick is $536,900. Murdock is a right-handed pitcher out of UC San Diego. He had 104 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched this past season with the Tritons.

Murdock was ranked #140 on MLB Pipeline’s pre-draft rankings. He throws a three-pitch mix including a fastball, slider, and changeup. His fastball grades as above average, and his slider grades as a 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale. He’s touched as high as 99 mph on his fastball while his slider and changeup sit in the mid-80s. 

He’s had a high walk rate in college, so this is something he will need to work on at the professional level. 

Lay fits the profile of a potential bonus pool savings pick as a fourth-year college senior, but he's also a pitcher who has steadily improved throughout his college career. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound right-hander struggled during his freshman season at Chico State, posting a 6.10 ERA and 1.72 WHIP while battling inconsistent command and allowing too much hard contact.

Everything changed during his sophomore season. Lay cut his ERA to 3.74 and issued only eight walks in 55 1/3 innings, showing the type of strike-throwing ability that has become a hallmark of many Twins pitching prospects. That breakout prompted a transfer to Sacramento State, where he became the Saturday starter in 2025. He logged 76 innings with a 3.55 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 66 strikeouts and only 16 walks. While he still surrendered more than a hit per inning and uncorked eight wild pitches, the overall trend was encouraging enough to return for his senior season after going undrafted.

Promoted to the Friday night role in 2026, Lay took another step forward. His strikeout rate climbed from 20.6% to 24.7% while lowering his walk rate from 5.0% to 4.3%. He attacks hitters with a four-pitch mix, relying more on pitchability than overpowering velocity. The Twins have had success developing college pitchers with command and feel for multiple offerings, making Lay another intriguing arm for their pitching development staff.

Bayles has been on scouts' radars for several years. Baseball America labeled him one of college baseball's "most underrated draft prospects" entering the 2026 season after he steadily climbed from freshman reliever to Friday night ace at Santa Clara.

Bayles immediately contributed as a reliever at Santa Clara, collecting five saves and earning West Coast Conference All-Freshman honors before transitioning into the rotation. After earning Second Team All-WCC recognition in 2025, he became one of the conference's best starters this spring, posting a 2.54 ERA while holding opponents to a .185 batting average.

His calling card is a devastating high-spin slider. The low-80s breaking ball generated an incredible 50% whiff rate and is thrown even more frequently than his fastball. Sitting around 91 mph and touching 94, his fastball plays up because it tunnels effectively with the slider, although inconsistent command limits its effectiveness. If the Twins can clean up his delivery and improve his strike throwing, his plus slider gives him a chance to move quickly through the system.

Burns might possess the loudest raw stuff of any pitcher Minnesota selected on Day 2. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Wisconsin native has one of the draft's biggest fastballs, routinely sitting between 95-98 mph while touching triple digits. His riding life from a high arm slot allows the pitch to miss bats even when hitters know it's coming.

His college career has taken an unconventional path. Burns opened at Arizona State as a weekend starter before shoulder tendinitis cut short his freshman campaign after six starts. He later transferred to Texas, where he spent the past two seasons pitching out of the bullpen. Despite posting a 5.64 ERA this year, he struck out 42% of opposing hitters, highlighting just how overpowering his arsenal can be.

Burns complements his fastball with an upper-80s cutter that flashes plus potential, though he struggles to consistently throw it for strikes. He also mixes in a mid-80s changeup, but it remains well behind his other offerings and frequently misses the strike zone.

The biggest obstacle is command. Burns has posted a 16% walk rate during his college career, making it difficult to trust him in leverage situations despite his elite swing-and-miss ability. Minnesota will undoubtedly see an arm with premium traits worth developing. If the Twins can help him throw more consistent strikes, Burns has the ceiling of a late-inning power reliever.

Raab gives the Twins another experienced college arm who may come with some bonus pool flexibility as a fourth-year senior. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 225 pounds, he has the size teams covet and enough raw stuff to intrigue evaluators.

He began his career at Stony Brook, where he pitched primarily out of the bullpen before transferring to Georgetown ahead of the 2025 season. During his first year, Raab started 14 games and threw 74 1/3 innings with a 3.63 ERA, earning All-Big East Second Team honors. His walk rate increased from 4.9% to 10.6%, however, and opponents hit .280 against him.

After going undrafted, Raab returned for his senior season looking to improve his stock. His strikeout rate jumped to an impressive 31.4%, but inconsistent command and poor luck limited the results. He surrendered 12 home runs in only 45 2/3 innings while allowing opponents to hit .308, though a .410 BABIP suggests some unfortunate batted-ball results.

Raab's fastball reaches the mid-90s, and he showed what he could look like at his best during the Cape Cod League last summer, posting a 1.80 ERA across 20 innings. The Twins will hope that version becomes the norm as they continue refining another high-strikeout college arm.

Klecker closes Minnesota's run of college pitchers after spending his final season at Arizona State following three years at TCU. His career has been defined by steady adjustments and improving strikeout ability despite moving between the rotation and bullpen.

He burst onto the scene as a freshman, making 17 starts while posting a 3.72 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. His 10 victories made him the first TCU freshman since 2014 to reach double-digit wins. During his sophomore campaign, his K-BB rate improved from 10.4% to 17.3%, although opponents continued to square him up, hitting .300 with a 5.82 FIP.

His junior season was interrupted by injuries and inconsistency, but he still struck out 20 batters in just 19 1/3 innings, while the Horned Frogs went 10-0 in games he appeared in. After transferring to Arizona State, Klecker produced arguably his most complete collegiate season. He posted a career-best 26.5% strikeout rate, trimmed his walk rate from 11.9% to 8.2%, and limited hitters to a .247 batting average, his best mark since his freshman year.

Like several of Minnesota's Day 2 pitching selections, Klecker offers a solid blend of strike-throwing ability, improving swing-and-miss stuff, and a track record of development that fits the type of pitcher the Twins have targeted successfully in recent drafts.

In the first draft since the end of the Derek Falvey era, the Twins showed incredible restraint, waiting until the 11th round to draft a left-handed outfielder. Teel, the younger brother of White Sox catcher Kyle Teel, breaks up the Twins' run of pitchers in this draft.

Nearly 22 on draft day, Teel just completed his redshirt junior season at Mississippi State after spending his first three seasons at Virginia, missing his freshman season due to injury. In 168 plate appearances, he slashed .294/.416/.449 (.864) for the SEC program, down from his .979 OPS in 2025 for the ACC's Virginia.

Teel has a good eye at the plate and solid contact skills, presenting the Twins with a well-developed player, which isn't surprising given his age on draft day (he will turn 22 next month), but it's unclear how much power the Twins will be able to add to his 6'0, 200 lb. frame, though he did have 11 home runs and 11 doubles in 40 Northwoods League wood bat games. In 2024, he has some speed and may be able to play all three outfield positions, but his best bet is probably in a corner.

Once again, showing immense restraint, the Twins held off on drafting the type of player that they have had a habit of taking about 10 rounds earlier than they did today, as they've loved taking a good bat college second baseman somewhere between Supplemental Round A and Round 3 in recent years.

Turner is a second baseman who torched the Big 10 in 2026 with a combination of contact and power, with more extra-base hits than strikeouts, including 14 home runs in 57 games. His 1.057 OPS this season was nearly 300 points better than his 2025--first year in the Big 10, making him an enticing name who might have snuck up on some teams. He's a very aggressive hitter, so improving his plate discipline will be beneficial for the Twins

Like many college second basemen, defense is not his strong suit, as although he has fine feet and a 6'0, 205 lb. frame, his arm leaves much to be desired, and he might be best suited for left field, reminiscent of the path taken by current Twins like Luke Keaschall and Austin Martin.

Lane is a shortstop whose 2026 season is not found on Baseball Reference, because he transferred from San Diego to Hope International (an NAIA school) shortly before his junior season. It's unclear exactly what spurred his exit from San Diego, other than reports that he had "violated team rules," per the San Diego Union Tribune.

Lane posted a .860 OPS at Big 12 Oklahoma in 2024, mostly fueled by a lot of singles and walks in his 71 freshman plate appearances. After transferring to the WCC's San Diego, he slashed .328/.457/.528 as a sophomore, including 21 extra base hits in 245 plate appearances (8 home runs). His power numbers dropped in the wood bat Cape Cod league the following summer, with just a .289 slugging percentage.

Lane predictably dominated in NAIA play, with a 1.111 OPS and 7 homers in 117 plate appearances. He's described as having a solid glove and may be able to cut it defensively as a middle infielder. There's a lot of uncertainty with Lane, but such is picking in the 13th round.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming, the Twins drafted a 6'2 (at just 185 pounds) starting pitcher who they think they can develop. Bouchard is a right-handed starting pitcher who just finished his third season at Wofford, though his first as a full-time starter, throwing 89 innings across 15 starts.

His ERA has fallen year-over-year from 7.36 in 2024 as a freshman to 5.69 as a sophomore to 2.83 as a junior as he has developed as a pitcher, earning Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year and First-Team All-Conference honors. The Twins have had success in recent years, building on mid-to-late round pitchers from smaller schools, tweaking their mechanics to improve velocity and stuff. Wofford certainly fits the mold, and Bouchard entered college with a low-90s fastball.

Named First-Team All-MAC this past season, Scholvin is a high-contact, high-OBP infielder who played three seasons at Toledo. He reached base nearly 50% of the time in 2026, batting .360 with a .488 OBP over 293 plate appearances. However, a lot of that OBP is due to his propensity for getting hit by pitches. A staggering 65 of his plate appearances as a sophomore and junior ended in a plunking, accounting for 13% of his trips to the dish.

He also struck out less than he walked, 46 walks compared to 38 strikeouts as a sophomore and junior, but I find it important to emphasize that during that stretch he was hit 19 more times than he walked. A line like that suggests he's got good bat-to-ball skills and that he probably crowds the plate quite a bit. A ball guy, for sure.

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.

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.

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 67 1/3 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.

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.

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.