The Twins appear to have lined up their catcher of the future.
With the third overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, Minnesota took Georgia Tech backstop Vahn Lackey, a move that fits neatly with the reality facing the club after this season. Ryan Jeffers is set to become a free agent at the end of the year, and the Twins may already be looking ahead to what comes next behind the plate.
Lackey went No. 3 after UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky was taken No. 1 by the Chicago White Sox and Fort Worth Christian High School shortstop Grady Emerson came off the board at No. 2 to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Minnesota already has catching talent in the pipeline. Eduardo Tait arrived from the Philadelphia Phillies in last summer’s Jhoan Duran trade, and Enrique Jimenez came over from the Detroit Tigers in the Chris Paddack deal in July.
Tait is MLB Pipeline’s No. 38 overall prospect. Even so, Lackey may bring a higher ceiling.
That’s part of why there was buzz that the White Sox or Rays could grab him. He’s viewed as a five-tool catcher, which is about as rare as it gets at that position.
The Twins also made history of a sort with the pick: Lackey is the first catcher Minnesota has taken in the first round since Joe Mauer.
At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Lackey just finished a monster junior season at Georgia Tech, hitting .397/.519/.772 with a 170 wRC+ and 20 home runs. The bat has come a long way in a short time.
He didn’t land an NCAA Division I offer until his senior year in 2023, and he hit only .214/.330/.381 over 36 games as a freshman. Last season, he jumped to .347/.421/.500 in 60 games.
MLB Pipeline describes Lackey as an agile catcher with a strong and accurate arm, and he also saw time at third base for Georgia Tech.
The rest of the Twins’ draft picks will follow later in the day, with picks 11-40 available to watch on Peacock, MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB TV and MLB+ from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. CDT.
The remaining opening rounds will be streamed on Peacock, MLB.com, MLB TV and MLB+ from 3:30 p.m. CDT to 6:45 p.m.
CDT. Rounds 5 through 20 are set for Sunday, July 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
CDT on Peacock, MLB.com, MLB TV and MLB+.
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