The Minnesota Twins may have had their eye on Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey all along, but that plan could be getting harder to keep quiet.
Lackey has been viewed by many as the Twins’ preferred target in this weekend’s MLB Draft, thanks to a season that turned him into one of the most talked-about players in the class. But Keith Law of The Athletic now has him going second overall to the Tampa Bay Rays in his latest mock draft, which would leave Minnesota without the catcher it may have been lining up for.
Law wrote, “The Rays may have the wildest mix in the top three, as it seems they could still take Lackey, Roch Cholowsky, Jackson Flora or Tyler Bell, the latter on an under-slot deal to preserve some money for subsequent picks,” Law wrote. “I do get the sense that Lackey is their top choice, as he might be a generational talent and the solution to the Rays’ nearly 30-year problem behind the plate, too.”
That’s the kind of language that makes a top prospect feel less like a possibility and more like a target painted on his back.
Lackey’s 2025 season at Georgia Tech was the breakout that put him in this spot. He hit .347/.421/.500 with six homers, 42 RBI and 18 stolen bases on 21 attempts. Then came the power explosion: .397/.519/.772 with 20 homers, 78 RBI and 15 stolen bases on 16 attempts.
He also made noise when the lights got brightest in the NCAA Tournament. Against Illinois-Chicago, he launched a 456-foot homer over the scoreboard in a win. The next night, he followed it with a 468-foot blast against eventual national champion Oklahoma.
For Minnesota, the appeal is obvious. Lackey’s defensive work behind the plate gives him the kind of profile teams dream on, and the Twins could view him as the eventual answer if Ryan Jeffers is traded before next month’s deadline or leaves in free agency next winter. There’s also a longer-term fit with Eduardo Tait, the Twins’ No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, who is at High-A Cedar Rapids.
But Tampa Bay may be just as motivated, if not more so. Since the franchise began in 1998, the Rays have had only three catchers make the All-Star Game: Dioner Navarro in 2008, Wilson Ramos in 2018 and Mike Zunino in 2021. This season, their catchers rank 15th in OPS while Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes handle the job.
The Rays also have Nathan Flewelling and Caden Bonine as their second- and third-ranked prospects per MLB Pipeline, but Lackey is viewed as a different level of talent and could move quickly if Tampa Bay takes him at No. 2.
If that happens, the Twins would be forced to pivot. Roch Cholowsky or Grady Emerson could still be there at No. 3, which would soften the blow.
Minnesota should still come away with one of the draft’s top three prospects unless it goes in a completely different direction. Still, the idea of Lackey slipping to the Twins may be fading fast.
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