Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The Minnesota Twins came into the 2026 MLB Draft holding the third overall pick in the first round, their highest slot since 2017, when then new president of baseball operations Derek Falvey selected Royce Lewis No. 1 overall.
This year’s draft crop has been deemed rather underwhelming, overall, but one with three elite prospects at the front of the first round. That was good news for the Twins, who landed Georgia Tech’s Vahn Lackey, the best catcher in the draft.
Minnesota Twins Draft Picks – 2026
Lackey was only one of five players the Minnesota Twins selected on the first day of the 2026 MLB Draft. And believe it or not, their next pick was a catcher too. By the end of the day Sunday, there will be a bunch of new prospects in the organization’s farm system.
Below, you will find the players Minnesota has drafted so far, along with real time updates on Sunday, when picks begin going off the board again. Day two will feature rounds 5-20 and will start at 10:30 a.m. CDT.
Vahn Lackey – No. 3 overall pick
Vahn Lackey always looked like an ideal fit for the Minnesota Twins, but drafts don’t always play out in reality, like they do on paper. The timing couldn’t be better, with Ryan Jeffers either leaving the organization at the trade deadline or during the offseason.
Lackey lands in the Twins org fresh off a Junior season with the Yellowjackets where he hit .397 with a 1.291 OPS and won the Johnny Bench Award as the nation’s top overall catcher. He hits for average and power, while playing exceptional defense behind the plate (2026 ACC Defensive Player of the Year). Lackey is the total package.
Vahn Lackey Goes No. 3 Overall in the MLB Draft to the Minnesota Twins.
His Highlights: pic.twitter.com/kSoAE5wQGK
— Baseball Performances (@MLBPerformances) July 12, 2026
After the Minnesota Twins opted against using a single pick on a catcher last season, they went back-to-back in their first two picks this year, selecting Texas Longhorns catcher Carson Tinney with their second round pick.
Carson Tinney – No. 43 overall pick
Tinney transferred to Texas from Notre Dame, before the 2026 season and showed out in the powerful SEC. After a 1.251 OPS during his final season with the Fighting Irish, he batted .326 with a 1.171 OPS for the Longhorns.
Tinney belted a combined 39 home runs over the past two seasons (109 games). As a senior at Texas, Carson walked 55 times and struck out only 66 times.
“Few players in this Draft can match his combination of raw power and arm strength. At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds and with a right-handed stroke geared to crush balls in the air to his pull side, Tinney is designed to hit home runs… His best-case scenario is that he becomes a larger version of Hunter Goodman.”
The Minnesota Twins catching production on the farm is not flush with options, and Tinney provides another avenue to align with Lackey. He struggled on the Cape with a 36/9 K/BB and hitting just .165 in 28 games, but battled through adversity to post strong numbers with Texas.
MN Twins draft three pitchers to close day one
After grabbing a pair of backstops in rounds one and two, the Minnesota Twins turned their focus to the mound, drafting Brett Renfrow, Tommy LaPour paired and prep product Ethan Wachsmann, who touches 97 mph as a teenager.
The Twins get prep righthander Ethan Wachsmann with the No. 79 pick in the MLB Draft.
The 5-star prospect is the top-ranked player from Colorado and has already been up to 100 mph 👀 pic.twitter.com/P0iVxtbt2D
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) July 11, 2026
Like Wachsmann, LaPour already sits 95-98 mph, though he has reached as high as 101 mph with his fastball. LaPour is arguably the least likely to stick as a starter amongst the trio, but we’ll see how they start their pro careers in Minnesota before jumping to too many conclusions.
Tale of the MN Twins Draft tape
While the MN Twins were rounding out the first half with a victory over the Angels, they made a total of 21 selections. Of those, they dispersed the picks quite nicely.
Tale of the 2026 MN Twins Draft tape:
21 selections
1 prep selection
3 catchers
13 pitchers (all RH)
3 shortstops
1 second baseman
1 outfielder
— Ted (@tlschwerz) July 12, 2026
After taking no catchers during last year’s draft, they grabbed three in this draft. All 13 of the pitchers they grabbed this year throw from the right side. The only high school selection was third round pick Ethan Wachsmann.
Now the front office will get to work on signing all of the class. There should be little reason they can’t cut deals with everyone in the top ten. From there they’ll need to dole out money efficient. Four of their picks were seniors signs, including 6th round pick Ethan Lay.
The state of Minnesota also showed out well. Eight prospects were picked from the right here in Twins Territory.
Mentioned in this article: Carson Tinney MLB Draft MLB Prospects Vahn Lackey
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