ORLANDO – The reward for the Twins’ worst season in nine years was the No. 3 pick in the 2026 MLB amateur draft.
The Twins learned where they will pick next summer following Major League Baseball’s draft lottery Tuesday, falling one spot based on their pre-lottery odds.
The Chicago White Sox, who had the best odds of winning the lottery, were awarded the No. 1 pick. The Tampa Bay Rays leapfrogged the Twins for the No. 2 selection.
“No. 3 is a good outcome,” said Twins president Derek Falvey. At worst, the team could’ve dropped to eighth. “We’d love to have the first pick. Ultimately, to pick in the top three is a really exciting opportunity for the organization.”
After posting a 70-92 record in 2025, the Twins held the second-highest odds (22.2%) to receive the top pick. The Colorado Rockies and the Washington Nationals finished with worse records than the Twins, but they were ineligible to pick inside the top 10 because of repeated losing seasons, one of the anti-tanking measures that is part of the draft lottery.
It will be the fourth time the Twins hold a top 10 pick under Derek Falvey, who became the head of the baseball operations department nine years ago. The Twins drafted Royce Lewis at No. 1 overall in 2017, Brooks Lee with the No. 8 pick in 2022 and Walker Jenkins at No. 5 in 2023.
Two-time Cy Young award winner Johan Santana represented the Twins on the draft lottery stage. Twins amateur scouting director Sean Johnson and some player development staff watched the results unfold from behind the MLB Network TV cameras.
The Twins were the biggest beneficiary of the inaugural MLB draft lottery in 2023, moving up eight slots (from No. 13 to No. 5), which gave them the opportunity to select Jenkins, the top-rated prospect in their farm system.
