​The Twins closed out the first day of the draft by selecting a third pitcher, continuing their pattern of adding young arms. The pick features a 6’4” right-hander whose size and velocity stand out. Tommy LaPour, who first drew attention by throwing in the mid-90s out of high school, has an intriguing path: he cracked Wichita State’s rotation as a freshman before transferring to TCU. His breakout sophomore season in the Big 12 put him on the national radar, posting a 3.09 ERA across 16 starts. An elbow issue sidelined him for a couple of months this spring, and when he returned he labored with command over a small sample size. Despite those challenges, the pedigree and upside are clear, and Minnesota may have landed him at a discount given the lingering uncertainty.
LaPour’s delivery is clean, coming from a 3/4 arm slot, and he generates serious velocity with limited extension. The ball jumps out of his hand, sitting in the mid-90s and occasionally flirting with triple digits. He has shown the ability to get whiffs at the top of the strike zone and can generate some downward action as well. His arsenal, however, is a work in progress. His slider offers solid two-plane movement in the mid-80s, while he also throws a harder cutter in the upper 80s. Both secondary offerings lack sustained spin and aren’t consistently sharp, which raises questions about their reliability and effectiveness against more advanced hitters. There is also a changeup in the upper 80s that has flashed decent whiff potential and could serve as a trustworthy put-away pitch against left-handed batters.
Inconsistency marks much of LaPour’s repertoire, and the true potency of his secondaries remains uncertain. He has the raw traits of a frontline pitcher, but the more likely outcome is that he settles into a back-end role. His high-energy presence suggests he could be a dominant late-inning option if his fastball command improves and his breaking ball sharpens. The Twins will need to cultivate and refine his secondary pitches to maximize his leverage as a bullpen piece.
In terms of projection, LaPour’s ceiling remains high due to the velocity and athletic frame, but the path to a stable major league contributor will hinge on refinement of control and consistency with his off-speed offerings. If Minnesota can help him harness that stuff and translate his upside into an effective three-pitch mix, he could emerge as a valuable asset in a bullpen that emphasizes power and late-inning competitiveness. Until then, he represents a high-risk, high-reward addition with the potential to pay dividends if he can smooth out the inconsistencies and weaponize his fastball more reliably against both right- and left-handed hitters.