The Minnesota Twins have the third overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. Most mocks have the Twins selecting Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, who posted an outstanding .397/.519/.772 (170 wRC+) slash line with 20 home runs and 78 RBI over 61 games in his final collegiate season. Twins fans should be content if the club drafts Lackey, considering the lack of strong offensive catchers in the league. However, The Athletic's Keith Law's latest mock draft has the Chicago White Sox selecting Lackey with the first overall pick, and the Twins drafting the top prospect in the class, UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, with the third overall pick.
Cholowsky's draft stock may have dropped a bit due to his poor performance in the regionals round, which played a part in UCLA being eliminated as the No. 1 national seed. In three games during regionals, Cholowsky went 2-for-12 with two strikeouts over three games. Still, many view Cholowsky, a 6-foot-2 right-handed hitter, as the best college shortstop prospect since Troy Tulowitzki. A rough stretch over three games shouldn't change that.
In 60 games with UCLA this year, Cholowsky, 21, slashed .320/.452/.636 (146 wRC+) with 21 home runs and 74 RBI. In 178 games across his three collegiate seasons, the shortstop hit .329/.448/.624 with 52 home runs and 167 RBI. In addition to his strong offensive profile, Cholowsky is a plus defender with a decent arm.
Twins will have plenty of promising prospects to choose from in 2026 MLB Draft
It's worth noting that Law heard the Twins' internal model has Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress near the top of their draft board. It's difficult to imagine Minnesota would pass up the opportunity to draft Cholowsky or Lackey, but if they are unavailable, the club may select Burress, who slashed .358/.473/.657 (143 wRC+) with 16 home runs and 60 RBI in 61 games this year.
Other mock drafts have the Twins selecting right-hander Jackson Flora, the top pitcher in the draft class, and high school shortstop Jacob Lombard, the younger brother of top Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr. Regardless of who the Twins draft, the club will add another promising prospect to its strong farm system in July with their first-round pick.
The 2026 MLB Draft is scheduled to take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 11-13. The first hour will be broadcast on NBC, while the rest of the event will stream on MLB Network and Peacock.
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