MINNEAPOLIS - Vahn Lackey’s path to becoming the No. 3 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft started late, took a few twists, and ended with a big-league welcome at Target Field.
Lackey didn’t even get into baseball until he was close to 11 years old. A decade later, the Twins made him the third overall selection, a rise that began with a surprise from his mother.
“I think I went to watch this one travel team who I ended up playing for, and my mom just brought me one time and surprised me to try out for the team,” Lackey said before Friday's game against the A's at Target Field.
Basketball was his first sport, and when baseball did enter the picture, he started at third base. The move to catcher came later, after parents on one of his teams complained about having a left-handed catcher. Lackey said his father, Bobby, stepped in and pushed him behind the plate.
“The parent group chat was complaining, saying, ‘Why do we have a lefty catcher?’ - shoutout Hayden Shelton - and my dad was basically like, ‘Vahn can catch.’ And then Nasim Nuñez from the Nationals - at least this is what I was told - basically started chucking me baseballs in the cage.”
The Twins signed Lackey on Wednesday, and the deal comes with a reported bonus of $9,497,500, the third-largest in Draft history. That figure trails only 2026 No. 1 pick Roch Cholowsky of the White Sox and No. 2 pick Grady Emerson of the Rays. The slot value for the No. 3 pick was $9,740,100, and Minnesota’s bonus pool totals $16,929,600.
On Friday, Lackey got the full tour of the organization that drafted him. He visited Target Field, met players and coaches, and began getting a feel for life in the Twins’ system.
One of the few people he already knew in the clubhouse orbit was starter Taj Bradley, who, along with Reds right-hander Zach Maxwell, spent the winter of Lackey’s freshman year throwing bullpens at Georgia Tech. Lackey said being around those arms on campus helped him learn how different pitchers work.
“It’s not always 100% intentional with everything they do," Lackey said. "And Taj’s catch play is crisp and perfect, honestly. He’s really heavy with his fastball; he knows what he’s doing with his fastball, and it’s kind of cool to see what different guys have to offer.”
Friday also gave Lackey a chance to meet more of his new teammates, including All-Star Byron Buxton, another Georgia native. Growing up, Lackey said he watched highlights of Buxton and former Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.
Lackey may not have been a fixture on top-10 or first-round projections when Georgia Tech opened the season, but coaches had been telling him since his freshman year that a first-round future was coming.
His production this spring backed that up. After spending the offseason working on his swing mechanics, he put together a huge year at the plate for a college catcher, hitting .397/.519/.772 with 20 home runs and 78 RBIs.
“I just learned myself more and the mental cues I needed to hit to get the swing I really wanted to produce,” Lackey said.
The Twins plan to give him a week or two to build back up baseball-wise before he gets into game action and eventually heads to High-A Cedar Rapids before the season ends.
Lackey hasn’t played since June 1, when Georgia Tech was knocked out of the NCAA Atlanta Regional with an 8-7, extra-innings loss to Oklahoma. He said he’s eager to get back on the field and show why he belongs among the elite players in this Draft class.
“I say it all the time, but I feel like I’m an exciting player," Lackey said. "I feel like I bring a lot to the table and I feel like if you come to watch me play, you’re going to keep wanting to come watch me play. Next week we’re going to be ramping up a lot more for the baseball side, so I’m excited to get started with that.”
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