The Twins kept adding to their catching depth by taking Texas backstop Carson Tinney with the 43rd overall pick in the second round.
Tinney comes into the draft ranked 73rd by MLB Pipeline and 58th by Fangraphs, but Minnesota is clearly betting on the bat. At 6-foot-4 and 21 years old, he brings the kind of raw power that can change the shape of a draft class. His exit velocities have been north of 116 mph, and he hit an eye-popping 112 mph 90th this season at Texas.
That upside comes with real swing-and-miss risk. Tinney struck out at a 23.1% clip this year and posted high whiff rates both in the strike zone and against all pitch types.
Even so, he kept pitchers honest with a patient approach. He led the SEC in walks this year and handled elite competition well, putting up a 1.108 OPS against SEC opponents.
Defensively, Tinney doesn’t bring the same athletic ceiling as Lackey, but he does have a plus arm and enough receiving and blocking ability to project as at least an average major league catcher. He didn’t log any first-base work at Texas this season, though his size leaves that door open if Minnesota decides to explore it later.
It’s easy for fans to question another catcher, and that concern makes sense. But the Twins’ front office and scouting staff are chasing the kind of bat that can swing a draft board.
Tinney is a volatile pick, no doubt. He could stay behind the plate, shift to first base, or become a trade piece.
If it clicks, though, the payoff could be enormous for Minnesota.
In Other News...
Twins Fans Have Waited Years To Hear This From Pohlad
For years, Twins fans have heard variations of the same message: stay competitive, keep the pipeline moving, trust the process. Tom Pohlad used a different tone this time. The chairman said the organization understands it has to raise its payroll investment if it wants to do more than hang around the race, and he framed the goal in much bigger terms than simply remaining relevant in September.
Pohlad also made clear that consistency is only the starting point, not the finish line, and that playoff progress will require bolder moves and real spending. He expressed confidence in general manager Jeremy Zoll, but the larger point was aimed at the fan base as much as the front office: support is earned by what the club does on the field and by how aggressively it shows a commitment to winning, not by promises alone. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Have Just Answered Their Biggest Catcher Question
The Twins used the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft on Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, giving the organization a high-end prospect at a position that has been a constant question mark in the system. It was a notable choice on its own, and it carried extra weight because Minnesota has not spent a first-round pick on a catcher since Joe Mauer, a reminder of how rarely the club has gone this route at the top of the draft.
Lackey arrives with the kind of profile that made him one of the most intriguing names on the board, with some evaluators seeing a possible five-tool catcher and other clubs surely weighing him as well. His college track record and scouting grades help explain why the Twins were willing to make the move, and why this pick feels like more than just another premium selection, even if the real test will come once he starts climbing the ladder in pro ball. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Be Forced Off Their Draft Plan At No. 3
With the third overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, the Twins look positioned to land a premium talent, but the shape of that board could push them in a different direction than the one they might prefer. Minnesota has been linked to shortstops Grady Emerson and Roch Cholowsky, along with catcher Vahn Lackey, and the early read is that the club is leaning toward college players rather than Emerson, whose path would likely take more time.
Keith Laws latest read on the class only adds to the uncertainty, since the Twins may have to react to how the first two picks and the clubs ahead of them break. If Cholowsky is there, he could be the obvious fit, but Minnesota may not get that clean a choice, and the possibility of a pivot to another college bat or arm is very much alive as the draft order starts to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]