The Twins kept working the margins in the 2026 MLB Draft, and that’s often where a front office can really make its mark. Rounds 16 through 20 are less about headlines and more about projection - finding one carrying tool, one useful trait, one thing worth betting on. Minnesota added a little of everything in that stretch: a right-hander with bat-missing ability, a catcher with real pop, another starter with a long track record, a middle infielder with a polished approach, and a durable college arm who knows how to win.
Connor Mattison was the first of that group, going in the 16th round at No. 467 overall. The Kentucky right-hander is 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, and the strikeout history is what jumps off the page.
At Grand Canyon, he threw the program’s first no-hitter in 42 years as a freshman, punching out 10 against Sacramento State and finishing with a 12.5 K/9 rate. He stayed productive in 2025, leading the team with 41 strikeouts in 33 1/3 innings and earning WAC Pitcher of the Week after five shutout innings against Vanderbilt.
Kentucky was a tougher assignment. In 14 appearances, including six starts, Mattison posted an 8.10 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP, but his 6.33 FIP, .337 BABIP, and strikeout rate above 20% suggest there may be more in there than the surface numbers showed.
The 17th-round pick, catcher Hideki Prather from California, brings a very different kind of appeal. His 2026 season was loud: a .333/.421/.632 line with 14 home runs and 17 doubles in 52 games, plus a .299 ISO, a 10.8% walk rate, and a 123 wRC+.
That’s the kind of offensive profile that gets attention fast. Prather’s path has been interrupted by injury - he missed the 2024 season - and he had limited action at Clemson before transferring, so the defensive side is still a work in progress.
The bat gives him a chance, though, if Minnesota can help him keep growing behind the plate.
At No. 527 overall in the 18th round, the Twins took Utah right-hander Colter McAnelly, a pitcher with a starter’s résumé. He was Utah’s Friday night starter in each of his final two seasons and earned All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2025 after going 14 starts, 92 2/3 innings, a 3.79 ERA, and 92 strikeouts.
He followed that with 70 strikeouts over 67⅓ innings in 2026 and finished his college career fourth in Utah history with 207 punchouts. McAnelly has already shown he can handle a workload and generate swings and misses; now he gets the next test against pro hitters.
Minnesota added another middle-infield option in the 19th round, taking Arizona State shortstop PJ Moutzouridis at No. 557 overall. He hit .286/.410/.417 with 14 extra-base hits in 55 games in 2026, along with a 13.0% walk rate and a 15.0% strikeout rate.
The power was modest - a .131 ISO and 94 wRC+ - but the approach stands out. Before Arizona State, he spent time at California and earned Freshman All-American and All-Pac-12 honors after starting all 55 games at shortstop.
He gives the Twins a player with defensive credibility and enough strike-zone feel to keep moving if the power comes along.
The final pick in this stretch was UCLA right-hander Michael Barnett at No. 587 overall. Barnett spent four seasons with the Bruins and went 24-3, finishing eighth in program history in career wins while anchoring the weekend rotation.
His best year came in 2025, when he led the conference with 12 wins, posted a 3.98 ERA over 86 innings, and struck out 75 against just 22 walks to earn Second Team All-Big Ten honors. He stayed effective in 2026, going 6-0 with a 4.18 ERA over a team-high 71 innings as UCLA went 15-1 in his starts.
Barnett struck out 58 and allowed one earned run or fewer in seven of his 16 outings. He doesn’t bring overpowering velocity, but he does bring command, experience, and a profile that could move quickly as depth with a chance for more.
That’s the game in the back half of the draft: identify one or two traits, trust the development work, and see where it leads. Minnesota came away with a group that fits that mold.
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