Cody Schoenmann

With their first two selections in the 2026 MLB Draft, the Minnesota Twins (led by assistant GM Sean Johnson) selected catchers Vahn Lackey (3rd overall) and Carson Tinney (43rd), fortifying the minor-league depth of a position group that had been the organization’s greatest area of future insecurity. The primary reason for team decision-makers' uncertainty about the position’s medium- and long-term health was that All-Star-caliber backstop Ryan Jeffers is almost guaranteed to depart the organization as a free agent this offseason. Veterans Victor Caratini and Alex Jackson are under team control for 2027 and could serve as a serviceable short-term tandem at the position, assuming Jeffers leaves. Still, Caratini and Jackson aren’t long-term candidates to anchor the position as Minnesota enters its next World Series-contending window. Until the selection of Lackey and (to a much lesser extent) Tinney, the prospect much of Twins Territory was projecting to be Jeffers’s long-term successor at the position was Eduardo Tait, acquired alongside Mick Abel in the 2025 MLB trade deadline swap that sent Jhoan Duran to Philadelphia. Still appearing on many top-100 prospect lists, Tait boasts plus power and a strong arm behind the dish. However, he swings at almost everything, sporting a 40.8% out-of-zone swing rate. His extreme lack of plate discipline has resulted in a .216/.280/.420 (73 wRC+) line over 339 plate appearances. Tait is 19, and he does have exciting in-game power, with 15 home runs this season. Still, a sub-300 on-base percentage (OBP) at High-A is catastrophic, and he will need to make drastic, sustained changes to his plate discipline to advance to the high minors. More than three years younger than the average High-A player, Tait will have plenty of time to make those developments, and Twins fans should remain optimistic about the 19-year-old’s long-term prospects. Still, it feels more likely that he'll reach the majors in 2029 than that it could happen by 2027. That being the case, the organization was in dire need of more developed, easier-to-project catching talent in the minors. Enter Lackey and (again, to a lesser extent) Tinney. Selected third overall, Lackey instantly slots in as Minnesota’s catcher of the future, with a chance to make his major-league debut early next season. He was arguably the most refined prospect in the 2026 draft, and he could soon slot in above Walker Jenkins on Twins top prospect rankings. There arguably wasn’t a better fit between player and team in the draft than Lackey and Minnesota, and Twins Territory should reap the benefits of the pairing for seasons to come. Lackey immediately usurps Tait, though the way the Twins prefer to deploy their catchers, there's plenty of room for both to contribute. Khadim Diaw and Enrique Jimenez were the organization's other top catching prospects alongside Tait before Lackey and Tinney were selected. Diaw’s bat will likely be what guides him to the majors, as the 22-year-old struggles to suppress base stealers, throwing out only six of the 109 runners who attempted to steal a base on him between High-A and Double-A. He's spent significant time in center field in Wichita, and projects to be an outfielder if he does reach the majors. Jimenez is a better defensive catcher than Diaw. However, given that he is only 20 and hitting .232/.400/.402 at High-A, it's nearly impossible to project his long-term viability as a major leaguer. Right now, Tait is a better prospect than Tinney. However, Tinney sneaks in above Diaw and Jimenez on the organization’s depth chart at the position. Unlike Lackey, Tinney is a raw prospect, with a lot of swing-and-miss in his offensive profile and uncertainty about his ability to remain behind the plate as he progresses through the minors. Still, after sporting elite exit velocity and raw power at the University of Texas, the 21-year-old has a clearer path to the majors than Tait’s, Diaw’s, and Jimenez’s, even if he’s spending more time at designated hitter, first base, and the corner outfield than behind the plate. Lackey is arguably the best catching prospect drafted in the 2020s, and Tinney could serve as the other half of the tandem. Minnesota has dramatically changed its long-term outlook at the position, making Tait’s, Diaw’s, and Jimenez’s shaky development feel less enormous.

Right-handed pitching prospect Paulshawn Pasqualotto began his 2026 campaign with High-A Cedar Rapids, operating as the Kernels' primary closer. Through 18 innings pitched, the 25-year-old generated a 1.50 ERA, 1.96 FIP, and 44.1% strikeout rate, while netting four saves. He was promoted to Double-A Wichita, where he took on a setup role, netting a 3.94 ERA, 3.57 FIP, and a 24.3% strikeout rate over 16 innings pitched before being promoted to Triple-A St. Paul on July 2. It took Pasqualotto only 34 innings pitched to make the substantial jump from High-A to Triple-A. Minnesota Twins decision-makers are rushing the 12th-round pick through the high minors, seemingly with the intention of converting the former starting pitching prospect into a viable major-league relief option. The young righty made his Triple-A debut against the Buffalo Bisons on July 3, striking out three in a scoreless inning and earning his first save as a Saint. Pasqualotto’s ascension isn’t unique, as fellow former starting prospects Mike Paredes, Alejandro Hidalgo, and CJ Culpepper have been promoted aggressively this season, with eyes on them impacting the major-league pitching staff in some capacity. Obviously, Paredes already has done so. Yet, Pasqualotto has been promoted the most aggressively, signaling that the Twins might view him as an arm that could soon become a member of the parent club’s pen. Right now, Minnesota has the fifth-worst bullpen in baseball, according to Wins Above Replacement at FanGraphs (fWAR). Yoendrys Gómez and Andrew Morris have developed into viable late-inning arms. None of Taylor Rogers, Travis Adams, Eric Orze, Kody Funderburk, Marco Raya, or Woo-Suk Go can be trusted in high-leverage roles, at least right now. That being the case, Derek Shelton is often forced to use inconsistent arms in high-leverage situations, which has led to multiple late-game collapses. It would be silly to suggest Pasqualotto would immediately become a reliable late-inning arm. He has less experience and is of a lower prospect stature than the young arms that presently populate the bottom of Minnesota’s bullpen, in Raya and Go. Given how dire a state Minnesota’s bullpen is in, however, Pasqualotto could soon earn a 40-man roster spot and join the club’s eight-pitcher relief unit, especially if he can build off his impressive Triple-A debut. Pasqualotto has excelled at pounding the zone between Double-A and Triple-A, sporting a near-elite called plus swinging strike rate (CSW%), zone contact rate, and whiff rate between the two levels. The right-handed arm’s stuff isn’t particularly eye-popping, with his four-seam, slider, and cutter grading out as slightly below average. As noted earlier, however, he locates his pitches incredibly well, mixing his two fastball variants and slider with his change, which operates as his out pitch against left-handed hitters. His slider functions as his out pitch against righties. Sitting around 96 MPH, Pasqualotto’s four-seamer is his foundational pitch, which he throws against hitters of either handedness. The young righty has utilized his four-pitch mix to produce an impressive 34.7% strikeout rate between Double- and Triple-A this season, proving that he has the potential to miss bats in the majors. He does struggle with control, as evidenced by a 14.8% walk rate. Still, Pasqualotto has impressed while being promoted aggressively, missing bats at each stop. Minnesota’s bullpen is in dire straits and in need of young, high-upside internal options to fill out the bottom half of the unit. Pasqualotto is already a twin. He has a twin sister named Brooklyn, and frankly, his first name suggests that his parents were anticipating twin boys or triplets, and so he ended up being named like an entire set of twins. It's nearly time to capitalize that 't' and see how it suits Pasqualotto.

Signed to a two-year, $4.5-million contract by the San Diego Padres in early January 2024 as an international free agent coming from the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), Woo-Suk Go has come nowhere near sticking in any one place for two years. He didn't make the Padres' roster that spring. After only 12 1/3 innings for San Diego’s Double-A affiliate, Go was thrown into the deal that sent Luis Arraez to the Padres—making the Korean righty a new member of the Marlins. Unsurprisingly, Go struggled to adjust to life in the minors and to a rapid change in employer. He posted a 10.42 ERA, a 5.52 FIP, and a 23-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 19 innings pitched for Miami’s Double-A affiliate. Yet, given Go’s unique contractual circumstance, Miami elected to promote him to Triple-A, where things actually did get (a little) better. For Jacksonville, he generated a 4.29 ERA, a 6.00 FIP, and a 14-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio. But he didn't find real traction. The following spring, Go bounced between Miami’s complex league, Low-A, High-A, and Triple-A affiliates before getting designated for assignment in June and subsequently released. The right-handed reliever signed a minor-league contract with the Detroit Tigers, and he threw a combined 27 innings between the organization’s High-A and Triple-A clubs down the stretch in 2025. He and the Tigers saw enough in one another to rendezvous on a minor-league deal this winter, though, and now, he might have really turned a corner. Go began his 2026 campaign dominating over 13 2/3 innings pitched (0.66 ERA, 1.98 FIP, 44.9% strikeout rate) for Detroit’s Double-A affiliate, before earning a promotion to Triple-A Toledo in early May. The former KBO star has continued his dominance at the highest minor-league level, posting a 1.96 ERA, 2.28 FIP, and a 29.1% strikeout rate over 27 2/3 innings. That minor-league deal included an upward mobility clause, whereby at certain points in the season, Go had the right to seek a change of scenery if the Tigers were unwilling to promote him to the majors. At the latest of those checkpoints, he exercised that right, and the Twins snapped him up. Though this will be the first time Go actually pitches in the major leagues, he's likely to land in a pretty secure role with the Minnesota pen. In fact, Go has a chance to quickly insert himself as a high-leverage reliever for the Twins, who currently have the fifth-worst bullpen in baseball, according to Wins Above Replacement at FanGraphs (fWAR). Despite having one of the worst relief units in the sport, Minnesota has produced two developmental success stories, highlighted by Yoendrys Gómez’s and Andrew Morris’s ascent to reliable, high-leverage arms. Unfortunately, the sextet of Taylor Rogers, Travis Adams, Eric Orze, Kody Funderburk, Cody Laweryson, and Marco Raya has barely performed above replacement level, as a group. Having one of the least effective relief corps in baseball, Minnesota is aggressively looking for late-inning arms to slot in alongside Morris and Gomez. Go’s aggressiveness on the mound could be a driving factor in him earning a high-leverage relief role with the Twins. Primarily relying on his four-seam fastball and cutter, the former LG Twin has attacked hitters in the strike zone with his fastball variants. More importantly, he's getting hitters to swing and miss on pitches in the zone, as evidenced by an above-average 30.2% whiff rate. He doesn't throw very hard, especially for a reliever, sitting 92-93 with his four-seamer most of the time. However, he commands the hard stuff well, and his splitter and curveball have become bat-missing weapons. Go has also relied on curve more often in 2026, raising his usage rate from 5.8% in 2025 to 19.3% this season. Despite hovering around 80 MPH, it has become a real out pitch, evidenced by opposing batters generating a measly .163 wOBA against it. Again, Go’s lack of fastball velocity is a concern. Yet, if he can continue locating his four-seam and cutter up in the zone while utilizing his curve as a true out pitch, Go’s three-pitch mix could guide him toward sustained success in the majors. He also leans on his splitter 7.9% of the time. The righty could ramp up his splitter usage with Minnesota, considering it has generated plus results similar to his curve. Go could struggle during his first cup of coffee in the majors, quickly working his way out of the Twins bullpen. Yet, given his history of being one of the best relievers in the KBO for multiple seasons; his plus performance and improved stuff in the high minors this season; and Minnesota’s glaring need for plus bullpen arms, Go could quickly earn a high-leverage role in the club’s shaky bullpen if the improvements he's made this year translate to the bigs.

Eighty-six games into the 2026 MLB regular season, Trevor Larnach has started 58 games in left field for the Minnesota Twins, accounting for roughly 68% of starts at the position. At first glance, this development comes as a moderate surprise. Entering the season, Larnach wasn’t expected to occupy a full-time role at either corner outfield spot, evidenced by him splitting time in left with platoon partner Austin Martin and Matt Wallner being the full-time right fielder early this spring. Yet, given Wallner’s demotion to Triple-A, Martin’s subsequent move to right field (and eventual demotion back to a bench bat), and the organization’s younger, inexperienced corner outfield options (Alan Roden, Gabriel Gonzalez, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins, and Hendry Mendez) not yet receiving extended opportunities in the majors, Larnach has become the club’s full-time left fielder. Circumstance isn’t the only reason for Larnach’s unexpected full-time role. Hitting .288/.381/.437 (good for a 131 wRC+), the 29-year-old has become a meritorious mainstay, often hitting in the upper third of the club’s lineup. He's become an irreplaceable part of Minnesota’s ability to succeed this season offensively. That being the case, he's received extended opportunities in the field. Unlike his sustained success at the plate, however, Larnach hasn’t improved defensively, despite how hard those in the Twins.TV broadcast booth try to persuade you otherwise. Over 139 attempts in left field, Larnach has -4 Outs Above Average (OAA), tying him for the second-lowest rating at the position alongside Isaac Collins and Yohendrick Piñango. Larnach’s downfall, in particular, is that he struggles getting to balls hit both to his left and right. He’s serviceable on balls hit in front of and behind him. However, the quality of a corner outfielder comes in their ability to chase down balls in the gaps and corners. Larnach struggles at both. Let’s take a look at some examples. QndSUDlfWGw0TUFRPT1fVkZOWkFWUUZWZ0FBQ1FBQ1hnQUhDRkJVQUFOV1VWa0FDbFpVQ1FjQVZRUlRBUUFI.mp4 What do you think the catch probability was of this ball? Close your eyes and think about it for a second before continuing to read this piece. Okay—are you ready? Have you regrouped? Okay, it was 99%. Larnach had 4.1 seconds to travel the 48 feet necessary to catch that ball. Instead, he stood flat-footed for multiple seconds as the bloop off Max Muncy’s bat traveled through the air before landing for a single. That’s not what a plus fielder does, Cory Provus! Let’s take a look at a more challenging ball put into play. eUx3M2VfWGw0TUFRPT1fVlFoWkJnRU5Wd0FBQ1Z0VFZRQUhWUUVIQUZrRVZWVUFCUUFHQUFJRlUxSlRWQXNB.mp4 Let’s play the same game. Close your ey—It had a 95% catch probability. Larnach had 5.4 seconds to travel the 68 feet necessary to catch the ball hit off rookie icon Kevin McGonigle’s bat. Instead, he took a poor route and misplayed, allowing McGonigle to cruise into second with a double. That's not what an improved left fielder does, Justin Morneau! Finally, let’s take a look at a play that appears incredible, but should have been much less dramatic. WU9WbERfWGw0TUFRPT1fVWdOVFZWUlFWUUVBQUFFQkF3QUhDQVplQUZrQ0FWTUFWbFFFQXdSV0JRTUhCZ05R.mp4 The ball hit by Sam Antonacci had a 55% catch probability, with Larnach trekking 82 feet in 4.9 seconds to make the catch. Again, this was a nice play by the long-time Twin, and he deserves credit for making the tough catch. That being said, more instinctive and faster left fielders would have gotten under that ball, removing the theatrics entirely. Larnach is slightly faster this season, improving from a 26.1 ft/sec sprint speed in 2025 to 26.9 ft/sec. It is also true that his arm value and strength have improved mightily in 2026. Still, he’s clunky, often getting poor jumps and failing to reach balls hit to his left and right that average left fielders catch with ease. Again, Larnach has been a nice surprise at the plate for the Twins this season, but we need to stay measured. He isn’t a good defensive left fielder. In fact, he’s one of the worst in the league. That's not ragging on a player trying to forge a lasting role and reach paydirt in free agency; it's just the reality we have to reckon with.

Since having his contract purchased from Triple-A St. Paul on May 31, Mike Paredes has played an integral role in the Minnesota Twins’ efforts to stay in postseason contention this summer. Unexpectedly, he operated as the club’s fifth starter in June. Paredes’s rise to his newfound role with the parent club was unanticipated on many fronts. The 25-year-old began his 2026 campaign as part of Double-A Wichita’s starting rotation. Besides, Minnesota was rich in starting pitching depth to begin the regular season, with 10 (or more) starters above Paredes on the organizational depth chart. However, after injuries to Pablo López, David Festa, Mick Abel, Kendry Rojas, and Bailey Ober, and Simeon Woods Richardson unexpectedly getting designated for assignment in late May, Twins decision-makers were more or less forced to hand Paredes a spot on the club’s 13-pitcher staff. Surprisingly, the inexperienced righty has been serviceable, netting a 4.26 ERA, 5.44 FIP, and a 13-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 25 1/3 innings pitched. Those numbers don’t pop off the page. In fact, his 11.8% strikeout rate is rather alarming. Still, his serviceability has saved Minnesota’s starting rotation, helping the club stay in postseason contention as the All-Star break nears. Despite Paredes’s honorable service, Ober is nearing a return from the 15-day IL, rejoining Minnesota's five-pitcher starting rotation. With Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, Zebby Matthews, and Connor Prielipp being the other four pitchers in the quintet, Paredes will be the odd starting pitcher out, signaling the 25-year-old could soon be demoted to Triple-A St. Paul. Instead, the front office and coaching staff should reward Paredes's upside with a change of role, rather than level. Operating out of the bullpen, Paredes could again serve as a bulk reliever, helping Ober ease back from the IL or pitching multiple innings if one of the other starters is pulled from a start early due to injury or poor performance. Given that the Twins bullpen continues to struggle mightily, however, Paredes could also transition into a short reliever, fortifying a unit in dire need of dependable arms. In his six appearances this month, Paredes’s most effective pitch has been his cutter, with hitters generating a modest .159 wOBA against it. However, his best pitch from a movement and stuff perspective is his sweeper, on which he's generated a 26.9% strikeout rate while throwing it 21.3% of the time. His sweeper would play up in a short relief role, generating higher velocity and greater horizontal break in short bursts. Paredes could fortify his sweeper and turn it into an above-average complementary pitch alongside his four-seam when facing right-handed hitters, while relying more on his change as an out pitch against left-handed hitters. Assuming he’s able to elevate his sweeper and change while adding velocity to his four-seam in a short relief role, Paredes should be more of a strikeout guy in the pen. Paredes has been an incredible development story, playing a vital role in keeping Minnesota’s playoff hopes from sinking in June. However, hes walking a thin line as a starter and could soon implode, given his inability to miss bats over multiple innings pitched. When Ober returns, Minnesota would be wise to transition Paredes to the bullpen, providing him an opportunity to solidify a role in a unit desperate for reliable arms. He's not good enough for their rotation, but he's more than good enough for their struggling relief unit.

On June 5, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was placed on the 10-day IL with a right rib stress fracture, sidelining the perennial All-Star for six to eight weeks. Before hitting the shelf, the 34-year-old was hitting .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and a 148 wRC+. Performing 48% better than league average, Judge was clearly one of the best hitters in the league. However, he was meaningfully worse than in 2024 and 2025, when he generated a combined 212 wRC+ and 111 home runs over 1,383 plate appearances, winning back-to-back AL MVP awards. Given the downtime he faces, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer is all but guaranteed not to earn his third consecutive MVP, opening the door for a new winner. At first glance, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez appear to be the co-favorites. Headlined by his Platinum Glove-caliber defense at shortstop, Witt has generated the most Wins Above Replacement at Fangraphs (fWAR) among position players in baseball, with 4.5. Putting together a Judge-esque season himself (24 home runs over 327 plate appearances; 190 wRC+), Alvarez is close behind Witt, generating 3.6 fWAR. West Sacramento (occasionally Las Vegas) Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz has generated the third-most fWAR in the AL, with 3.3, and a pair of Detroit Tigers in Dillon Dingler and Kevin McGonigle round out the top five, each at 3.1. Colson Montgomery of the White Sox is sixth, at 3.0. Coming in with the seventh-most fWAR, however, is Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton. Earning AL Player of the Week honors for the week of June 8-14, Buxton has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball this month, hitting .340/.389/.760 with six home runs and three doubles over 54 plate appearances. Buxton’s performance this June has been the peak of his best offensive season in the majors, wherein the 32-year-old has hit .275/.336/.601 with 23 home runs (third-most in MLB) and a 154 wRC+ over 283 plate appearances. Buxton hasn’t been the same caliber of hitter as Alvarez or Kurtz this season. Kurtz has been phenomenally consistent in the OBP department, and Alvarez, as mentioned earlier, is the only AL batter with more home runs than Buxton this season, while also hitting for average. What separates Buxton from Kurtz and Alvarez, however, is that he's playing solid defense at an up-the-middle position, while Kurtz plays first base and Alvarez is almost exclusively a DH. If Buxton can continue his elite performance at the plate while being a plus defensive center fielder, he could surpass Kurtz and Alvarez in this race over the second half of the year. As mentioned earlier, Dingler and McGonigle have generated more fWAR than Buxton. Yet, Buxton is outhitting both Tigers' position players. McGonigle is a rookie who has consistently been one of baseball’s best hitters this season. Dingler has undergone a recent offensive renaissance while catching almost every game, helping him jump up the fWAR leaderboard. Still, given that McGonigle is the heavy-favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year Award, and Dingler should regress at the plate soon, the Tigers' star duo likely aren’t legitimate AL MVP Award contenders. Witt has meaningfully outperformed Buxton in terms of fWAR. However, a significant portion of his fWAR accumulation has come from his stellar defense at shortstop. Witt might be the best defensive shortstop in the league right now. Still, just like how hitting alone likely won’t be enough for Alvarez to win with just his bat, it's going to be exceptionally difficult for Witt to do so based primarily on his elite defense. Through 335 plate appearances, Witt Jr. has hit .290/.365/.451, which is good for a 128 wRC+. The 26-year-old has performed well offensively, but he hasn’t been a world-class hitter, which is a trait that should be necessary for any MVP award winner. It's a relative dearth of power slowing Witt at the moment. He's only hit 10 home runs. There's a chance Witt turns on the jets offensively and hits closer to the 169 wRC+ over 709 plate appearances he put together in 2024. If so, he could run away with this—literally, since he also leads the big leagues with 28 steals. The difference in how much value the two provide is probably being overstated a bit by fWAR, though—and Witt left the Royals' game Thursday after tweaking his knee, so another injury could be opening the door for Buxton. The final consideration when discussing potential MVP award winners is team performance. Right now, the Twins have better playoff odds than the Royals and Astros. The Tigers have better playoff odds than Minnesota, according to FanGraphs. The Twins are still five games up on Detroit in the AL Central and Wild Card standings, however. Only 1.5 games out from the third AL Wild Card spot, Minnesota is very much in postseason contention. If Minnesota does make the postseason, Buxton will have had to play a significant role, meaning he avoided any serious injuries while maintaining his elite production at the plate. Again, a lot has to go right for both Buxton and the club. Still, given that Judge is hurt; Alvarez doesn’t play the field; Witt hasn't hit for great power, and may now be hurt; Dingler, and McGonigle are likely due for regression while playing on a worse club; and Kurtz plays a position much lower on the defensive spectrum while hitting for less power than Buxton, the long-time Twins star could win his first AL MVP award this season. However slim the chances, if that does happen, it would be a triumphant display of perseverance for a player who was once one of the most injury-riddled players in the sport.