The Minnesota Twins were hoping to garner the No. 1 overall pick for a third time this century. Ahead of the 2026 MLB Draft Lottery on Tuesday in Orlando, Florida at the Winter Meetings, Minnesota was given the second-best odds to get the first pick at 22.18 percent.
Sadly for Twins fans, their favorite team did not break those odds, as their AL Central rival White Sox received the top pick. Minnesota will pick third in the next draft, which could be viewed as a disappointment since they had the second-best odds, but there are plenty of elite prospects to choose from.
Minnesota Twins land No. 3 overall pick in 2026 MLB Draft following lottery
The official 2026 #MLBDraft order 👏
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The thing is, UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky is currently viewed as the No. 1 prospect going into the draft. Even if the Twins got pick No. 2, they probably wouldn't have a shot at him. So whether they drafted second, third, fourth, or fifth, there are plenty of options still out there.
Grady Emerson (Texas) and Jacob Lombard (Florida) are two prep shortstops receiving just as much attention as Cholowsky, as are collegiate shortstops like Justin Lebron (Alabama) and Chris Hacopian (Texas A&M). Long story short, if the Twins were hoping for a shortstop to draft early on, there is no shortage of that.
The Twins have recently hit on drafting middle infielders in the top rounds. Luke Keaschall is already proving that he can help turn this ship around after getting drafted in 2023. Kaelen Culpepper, taken in the first round in 2024, is the organization's second-ranked prospect following a 20-20 season across two levels in 2025. Minnesota will have plenty to work with at pick No. 3, and they can hopefully expand on what should be a bright future among the Twins' infield.