MINNEAPOLIS -- When the Twins took catcher Vahn Lackey with the third overall pick in the MLB Draft on Saturday, it was reasonable to think they were done selecting backstops for at least a little while.
They were not.
2026 MLB DRAFT PRESENTED BY NIPPON EXPRESS
Day 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20)
• 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
Coverage
Minnesota turned around and took another catcher in the second round: Texas’ Carson Tinney, a big man with big power whom the club believes can also stick behind the plate. Lackey and Tinney were both emblematic of the most consistent trend underlying the team’s five selections on Saturday: players who have proved themselves at the highest levels of amateur baseball.
In addition to Lackey and Tinney, the Twins took Virginia Tech right-hander Brett Renfrow and TCU righty Tommy LaPour, as well as Colorado prep righty Ethan Wachsmann. Four of their five selections not only came from the college ranks, but from the three top conferences in college baseball: the ACC (Lackey and Renfrow), SEC (Tinney) and Big 12 (LaPour). And Wachsmann? Well, he was on his way to play at top ACC program Wake Forest, a commitment the Twins are hoping to get him to forgo.
“I think when you see players perform in these Power 4 conferences and have [the] success that they did, it gives you a little more confidence to believe the numbers,” said Twins scouting director Sean Johnson.
As for the two catchers? Don’t make too much of it: Johnson was emphatic that at each spot, Minnesota simply took the top player on its board. Still, there’s no denying that adding high-level catching prospects to a system somewhat short on them is not the worst thing the club could do.
“By the time we got to that part of the board, we thought [Tinney] was the best position player left in that range,” Johnson said. “The fact he’s a catcher, we already had a catcher with Vahn Lackey the pick prior, I guess it goes back to, you guys always hear me say, ‘We’re taking the best player on the board,’ and that’s what we did.”
- Round 2, Pick 43
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Texas
- Calling Card: Power. Tinney is a big guy who hits the ball hard. When he makes contact, it goes. He totaled 39 homers over his last two college seasons at Notre Dame and Texas. The Twins also believe he can develop into a quality defensive catcher.
- Quote: “He’s got some of the highest exit velocities in this class. He’s got huge power. He can really throw. We think his defensive skills are at a good spot, and we think we can make him even better. He hasn’t been a catcher his whole life, but we trust player development can do a lot of good things with what he can do.” -- Johnson
Brett Renfrow, RHP
- Competitive Balance Round B, Pick 74
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Virginia Tech
- Calling Card: He’s a very Twins kind of pitcher, a strike-throwing right-hander with pitches they think they can refine and get more out of. Renfrow has a wide repertoire and has great experience, with three full seasons in the Hokies’ starting rotation.
- Quote: “He really fits our mold of college starter, really good strike-thrower, full mix of pitches that we think can enhance and optimize even more once we sign him. And really good makeup.” -- Johnson
Ethan Wachsmann, RHP
- Round 3, Pick 79
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Grandview HS (Colo.)
- Calling Card: Another big pitcher with a big arm. Wachsmann throws hard with developing command and control, and the club believes he can turn into something special. He has a commitment to a top program in Wake Forest, and is the kind of pitcher who might well grow into a first-rounder if he were to play college ball.
- Quote: “Really checks a lot of the boxes for a high school pitcher. Tremendous body. It's only going to get better. He's a very athletic kid with really good arm action. He's got multiple spin pitches. He's got a changeup that we've seen that's really good and only going to get better once he uses it more in pro ball.” - Johnson
Tommy LaPour, RHP
- Round 4, Pick 107
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: TCU
- Calling Card: LaPour might’ve gone much higher if he’d been healthy this year, but he lost a chunk of the season to elbow issues. He had an excellent sophomore year, and is yet another big, athletic pitcher with a big fastball.
- Quote: “We tracked him all the way back to Wichita State and high school. Football and wrestling background is interesting there. He’s a big guy, but he’s athletic and we think he moves well. … LaPour throws extremely hard, and he’s got good pitch shapes to start. These are the guys that our player development really likes to get their hands on and go to work with.” -- Johnson