There would have been something poetic about the Minnesota Twins losing 92 games last season under since-fired manager Rocco Baldelli and turning those struggles into the ability to draft Roch Cholowsky with the No. 1 pick.
#RocBottom meets #RochBottom.
But it wasn’t meant to be. Instead, the division rival Chicago White Sox won MLB’s draft lottery Tuesday, as they were favored to do, and now the Twins might have to play against the star UCLA shortstop 13 times a season.
Despite having the second-highest lottery odds, the Twins slid to the No. 3 pick. This will be their third time drafting No. 3 after using it on high school pitcher Willie Banks in 1987 and Stanford slugger David McCarty in 1991.
The bad news: Banks and McCarty are two of the biggest prospect busts in Twins history, failing to become good major leaguers after being consensus top-25 prospects coming up through the minors.
The good news: In both of the previous years the Twins had the No. 3 pick, 1987 and 1991, they won the World Series. And as evidenced by holding the No. 3 pick, they were also bad in the preceding years, with 91 and 88 losses.
With the caveat that a lot can change during the seven months between the lottery and the draft, here are the early top non-Cholowsky prospects in the 2026 class who could be options for the Twins with the No. 3 pick on July 12.
Grady Emerson, SS
Emerson, a left-handed-hitting shortstop from Texas, is the consensus top high school prospect, with both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline rating him second overall behind Cholowsky. He’s committed to the University of Texas, but the lure of top-five bonus money should make that a moot point.
Emerson is touted as a pure hitter with standout bat-to-ball skills and good plate discipline as part of a well-rounded approach. Like most 17-year-olds, there are questions about future power potential, but Emerson is certainly not without power now and will add more as his 6-foot-2 frame fills out.
While the bat is the biggest draw, Emerson is widely considered a quality defensive shortstop with a realistic chance to stick there long term thanks to above-average athleticism, speed and arm strength. He’s a prototypical high-end high school shortstop prospect with All-Star upside.
Grady Emerson belts 13 homers in the second round of the High School Home Run Derby and will advance to the finals on Monday! pic.twitter.com/Gexuv2ni3Q
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 12, 2025
Justin Lebron, SS
Cholowsky casts a long shadow as perhaps the premier college shortstop prospect in two decades, but Lebron is a high-end college shortstop in his own right. He’s hit .327/.425/.593 in two years at the University of Alabama, showing excellent right-handed power with 30 homers in 116 games.
Lebron is also a great athlete with good speed, stealing 27 bases in 28 tries and possessing the baseline skills to be a long-term asset at shortstop. And the Twins already saw plenty of Lebron last season while scouting Alabama right-hander Riley Quick, their 2025 supplemental first-round pick.
One big question with Lebron is his contact skills, particularly against non-fastballs. He has a reputation for chasing breaking balls outside of the zone, and totaling 121 strikeouts versus 55 walks in 116 games is a potential red flag for an otherwise promising hitter with considerable upside.
𝑫𝙧𝒂𝙛𝒕 𝑩𝙤𝒂𝙧𝒅 𝑺𝙥𝒐𝙩𝒍𝙞𝒈𝙝𝒕
Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
Lebron rounds out the Top 10 on our initial draft board. A high-level athlete who has plus bat speed & power in the toolset. Handles SS well, too. A big ‘26 could raise the stock even more.#PGDraft #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/Dez5Vq8WNa
— Perfect Game Draft (@PG_Draft) November 21, 2025
Drew Burress, OF
Burress doesn’t look like a prototypical slugger at 5-9, but he’s been one of the best right-handed college hitters in the country the past two seasons at Georgia Tech, batting .357/.490/.756 with 44 homers in 118 games. And he’s done that damage while striking out just 79 times, compared to 111 walks.
Burress’ small size, combined with an unusual batting stance that features a pronounced leg kick, could cast some doubt on his ability to keep putting up big power numbers in the majors. But he’s crushed college pitching in a good conference, showing great bat speed without much swing-and-miss.
In nine drafts with Derek Falvey at the helm, the Twins have used seven first-round picks on college hitters with elite production. And unlike bat-only picks Aaron Sabato, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach and Brent Rooker, the speedy Burress is a good outfielder with some chance to stay in center.
DREW BURRESS!!!!!!!!!!
WALK OFF GRAND SLAM!! pic.twitter.com/w4cub94rLo
— Georgia Tech Baseball (@GTBaseball) February 15, 2025
A.J. Gracia, OF
Gracia has been one of the best left-handed college hitters in the country the past two seasons at Duke, batting .299/.445/.559, and the 6-3 outfielder transferred to Virginia for his junior year. He lacks Burress’ jaw-dropping power numbers, but had a still-impressive 29 homers in 120 games.
Gracia’s on-base skills are his calling card. He posted .440 and .449 on-base percentages in his first two years, drawing 105 walks in 120 games, including 57 walks versus 36 strikeouts in 60 games last season. He rarely swings at non-strikes and can drive the ball to all fields.
While considered a passable college center fielder defensively, Gracia will likely wind up in a corner spot eventually, putting more pressure on him to develop into a middle-of-the-order force. He fits the Twins’ preferred hitting mold, but the No. 3 pick would require a truly special bat.
GRACIA GRAND SLAM 😤🔥💣
B5 Duke, 11 | VT, 0 pic.twitter.com/5e7HswPe1L
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) April 27, 2025
Jacob Lombard, SS
Lombard, a high school shortstop from Florida, is the son of former major leaguer George Lombard and the younger brother of New York Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. His upside is undeniable, with a mix of high-end speed and raw power from an athletic 6-3 frame.
There are questions about Lombard’s contact skills, especially when facing premium velocity, which isn’t uncommon for a toolsy 17-year-old with huge right-handed power potential. Once on base, he has game-changing speed that should also translate well defensively.
Lombard is widely considered a quality defensive shortstop with above-average hands and instincts, although there are mixed opinions about his arm strength. It’s possible he could grow out of the position physically, but he would likely be an asset defensively elsewhere as well.
Develops alum Jacob Lombard comes in at #4 on the @MLBPipeline Top 100 Prospects list for the 2026 MLB Draft 😎@jacob_lombard23 | @MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/5Lu75mrqiV
— MLBDevelops (@MLBDevelops) December 5, 2025
Derek Curiel, OF
As a freshman last season, Curiel led the College World Series-winning LSU team with a .345 batting average and a .470 on-base percentage. He showed limited power with seven homers in 68 games and struck out at a relatively high rate for a college star, albeit while drawing lots of walks.
Curiel is typically touted for his smooth swing and pure hitting ability, with the big question being how much power the 6-2 left-handed hitter will add. He played mostly left field last season and it’s fairly uncommon for a non-slugging corner bat to be a top-three pick.
However, the plan is for Curiel to be LSU’s starting center fielder in 2026. Opinions are mixed about his ability to stick there in the pros, but he has above-average wheels and a good arm. It would probably take a monster sophomore season for Curiel to be a viable No. 3 pick, but he’s capable.
DEREK BOAZ CURIEL@DerekCuriel | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/5gsuCa5DKg
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) March 23, 2025
Other names to watch: Liam Peterson (RHP, Florida), Sawyer Strosnider (OF, TCU), Cameron Flukey (RHP, Coastal Carolina), Tyler Spangler (SS, high school), Eric Becker (SS, Virginia), Ace Reese (3B, Mississippi State)
