2026 MLB Draft Review: Minnesota Twins

The players

Vahn Lackey had an incredible 2026 campaign with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He finished 2026 with a .397 batting average, a .519 on-base percentage, and 20 home runs for Georgia Tech, all impressive numbers to say the least. Now, he’ll look to continue Tech’s legacy of producing MLB catchers, joining Jason Varitek, Matt Wieters, and Joey Bart, among others.

Lackey is an incredible talent. An athletic catcher who can swipe bases, played around the field at times in college, and works pitchers makes him the type of talent every team covets. And he did well in his brief pro stint this past year, with a .859 OPS in A-ball.

Minnesota took a second catcher after Lackey, grabbing Carson Tinney out of Texas. Tinney was a big-time power hitter both at Notre Dame and with the Longhorns, hitting 22 home runs this past season. However, the deal with Tinney is a little bit different compared to Lackey.

He did walk a lot in college. But he also struck out a lot in college, and there was considerable swing-and-miss in his game while in university. Just in the Cape Cod League, his Whiff% in 2025 was among the highest in that circuit, over 40% that year.

After Tinney, the Twins used their other second-round pick, plus every other pick from Rounds 3-10, on pitchers.

The other second-round pick was Brett Renfrow, the staff ace for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Renfrow was the club’s strikeout leader, with 88 strikeouts over 73 innings. Didn’t walk too many batters this past season, just 25 overall. Mid-90s fastball that played up to 97 MPH, along with a changeup in the mid-80s, cut/slider, and slower curveball.

When healthy, LaPour showed electric stuff, highlighted by a fastball that played up to 99 MPH but sat pretty consistently in the mid-90s. Also worked with a mid-80s changeup and slider to play off the hard stuff.

Sandwiched in between is Colorado high school pitcher Ethan Wachsmann, who was given a signing bonus over $2MM. Showed mid-90s velocity in high school. Comes from the same high school that produced Kevin Gausman.

The club also grabbed more college pitchers with upside. Steele Murdock struck out 104 over 74 innings with UC San Diego. Ethan Lay struck out 93 over 88 innings with Sacramento State. Heavy fastball/curveball pitcher, sitting mainly in the low-90s with his fastball. Thomas Burns possesses a booming fastball, one that flirted with triple digits.

Minnesota went with college bats to start the back half of the draft. Aidan Teel hit well both with UVA and Mississippi State, and has MLB bloodlines. His brother, Kyle Teel , is a catcher with the Chicago White Sox.

Colby Turner led the Michigan Wolverines in virtually every single offensive category this season. Turner hit .366 with 14 home runs in 2026 after a down year in 2025.

The Twins also picked some other interesting college players. Connor Mattison put up good strikeout numbers with both Grand Canyon and Kentucky. Michael Barrett doesn’t throw hard but was a workhorse for UCLA over the past couple of years.

California catcher Hideki Prather hit a club-high 14 home runs this season.