Twins Select High-Octane SoCal Arm with 3rd Overall Pick in First 2026 MLB Mock Draft

11 minutes ago, Dman said:

I like Flora and he seems at least for the moment to be top 4 or 5 on most boards.  I don't know that I see a Skenes like path there, but he has top of the rotation stuff.

You can never have too many potential top of the rotation arms in the system, but I just don't see Flora as the Twins pick at three.  I think the Twins will go with a bat at three.  You look at the farm system and current team and this team is in need of impact bats more than arms. Given that Cholowski, Emerson and Lackey appear to be top 3 I'd say the pick will be one of those players.

Cholowski still appears to be the favorite to go number 1, but I wouldn't be surprised if Chicago cut a deal with Lackey.  My reasoning would be that they just took a good defensive shortstop in Carlson last year and Catchers with Lackeys skills seem be a once a decade type of player.  It is incredibly hard to find a catcher with potential elite defense and offense especially one who could play a solid third base or left field if needed. If they could get a player like that and save money I think they do that. 

It looks like Chicago will be in the running for another high pick next year and given how many shortstops there are at the top of boards it will be easier for them to take another crack next year.  The odds of finding a catcher like Lackey might take another ten years.

The Twins should be happy with any of the top three bats and if they can save a little money they could still get an ace level high school arm later in the draft.  If they skip on the bat early going with Flora they will be hard pressed to find an elite bat in the second round.  That is why so many teams go hitter first in the first round IMO.  The Twins have found valuable arms later in the draft but I can't think of anyone outside the second round that has made it on the Twins with the bat.

I like Flora and he might be worthy of the third overall pick, but I just don't see him jumping in over the top three bats.

Always appreciate your thoughtful responses. Good read. We're in the midst of a lot of major board updates atm. If I had to make a prediction, I'd suggest that in two weeks, there will be a pretty 'formed' T4 of Cholowsky, Emerson, Lackey, Flora. As of today, I'd think Emerson or Lackey are the most likely selections. I'd be happy with either, personally. Obviously, I'll post more in-depth write ups of options as the season winds down.

2 minutes ago, Peter Gravett said:

I like Flora and I like Flukey. Going to be real interesting to see if Flukey still shows well after this injury and see where he ultimately lands on the boards. There could be a bargain to be had on that one. 

Flukey's return is a bit of a wild card. He's back on Sunday. He'll have to be lights out down the stretch, but as Carlos Collazo pointed out on our POD, he could force his way into the mix. Outside shot for me, but definitely worth paying attention to.

44 minutes ago, twinstalker said:

It's hard to take a consensus board seriously that has Justin Lebron so high.

There's a pretty clear explanation that account for this. Literally called out that it's a 'lagging reflection' of what the actual rankings are. 

30 minutes ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Thanks Jamie  , I read 40 and that was enough for now ....

Draft choices usually startt their pro careers and concentrate on developing their skills to a polished level throughout the minor leagues  ...

Is there a draftee that has or can be a 5 tool player in this years coming draft ? 

Just reading their projections and not knowing the individual like you do it's difficult in knowing who to chose  ...

Thanks ...

That's a fun talker. I don't really love the phrase because there's not really a normed definition of what that means. 55s across the board? I'm not sure there is, in this class. Cholowsky is close, but he's an average runner. Emerson if the power ticks up a bit.

I think Lebron will be closer to a mid-round pick than the T3 ultimately unless he heats up significantly. The whiff is just more risk than teams picking T5 will be willing to tolerate. 

I'm glad we got the board out with Flora in third, because I'm pretty sure Emerson/Lackey are about to lock up 2/3 for the rest of the cycle.

For the record, I think the drop off in arm talent if you grabbed an arm at 42 is way less than the drop off in offensive talent. You could grab an arm like Carlon or Townsend (or whoever ends up replacing them on the board) in a pick similar to quick at #36, and have your elite stuff, fast moving college arm. TLDR: I think it'll be a bat.