OT: Mn Twins Draft #3 pick overall
Luv the potential of this kid!!
GOT OUR GUY!!! With the 3rd overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, we have selected catcher Vahn Lackey!
— Minnesota Twins @Twins Jul 11, 2026
GOT OUR GUY!!! With the 3rd overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, we have selected catcher Vahn Lackey!
The Twins selected Lackey with their highest pick in a draft since 2017, securing a player they believe will be a future cornerstone behind the plate.
Who is Lackey? The latest in a long line of first-round catchers from Georgia Tech going back to Jason Varitek and including Matt Wieters, Joey Bart and Kevin Parada, Lackey exploded at the plate for the Yellow Jackets in 2026, hitting .397/.519/.772 with 20 home runs and more walks than strikeouts as he climbed from a late first-round talent to the top of the first round. He's agile behind the plate with above-average arm strength and a quick release and even has above-average speed that would have allowed him to play other positions if he wasn't so good behind the plate. His power upside is the biggest question, although he improved from six home runs as a sophomore. He's also young for a college junior, not turning 21 until July 7.
Why the Twins took him here: Lackey powered his way into the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick with a huge season at Georgia Tech, making this an easy choice when the top of the board played out as expected. Lackey is a potential star at a premium position who has the ability to move relatively quickly through the minors. It's a perfect fit for the franchise that had Hall of Famer Joe Mauer behind the plate not too long ago. -- Mullen
ESPN
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
I love it. The Twins are quietly assembling a pretty strong group of pitching and position prospects. Could be a fun era of Twins baseball starting as soon as next year.
And how is once-certain superstar #1 overall pick Royce Lewis doing these days? ( Checks stats ) Striking out 68 times in 249 plate appearances for a whiff percentage of .273 compared to a .216 batting average 🤢
Just hope Lackey doesn't take 5 years to get to the majors like Lewis.
RS_Express wrote:
And how is once-certain superstar #1 overall pick Royce Lewis doing these days? ( Checks stats ) Striking out 68 times in 249 plate appearances for a whiff percentage of .273 compared to a .216 batting average 🤢
Just hope Lackey doesn't take 5 years to get to the majors like Lewis.
Yep, baseball drafts are like hockey drafts: so, so hard to know what you might really have. And it can take awhile to find out either way. Hope springs eternal for sure with fans, but MLB and NHL drafts are even more of a crapshoot than the NFL.
StickierBuns wrote:
Yep, baseball drafts are like hockey drafts: so, so hard to know what you might really have. And it can take awhile to find out either way. Hope springs eternal for sure with fans, but MLB and NHL drafts are even more of a crapshoot than the NFL.
Yup, u can wait 5 years at times for some of these guys to get through their minors period.
CRAZY
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
They are not saying he is the next Joe Mauer. But they are saying that he has the best chance of being a top MLB catcher with power hitting since Joe Mauer.
I am one of those quiet Twins fans who saw Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Bob Allison, Rich Rollins, Jim Kaat and more play at the old Met. I used to be able to recite the starting lineup of the entire 1965 World Series team. Heck, I saw Mickey Mantle hit a home run there. Al Kaline and Boog Powell, too.
I watched them win the World Series twice. Once alone at home on TV with two little girls asleep on my lap (I was a single Dad at the time)
I thought they were toast after last season's fire sale. I am shocked to see that they are in the hunt for a Wild Card spot right now, that they are sitting 3 games out of first in the AL Central. I am quietly watching the schedule and scores of each game, kinda looking over my shoulder. I don't want to get too optimistic. I live about 1,700 miles away from Target field after all. I was able to squeeze in one home game when I was last in Minnesota for my Mom's funeral about 8 years ago.
But there is something about a summer when there is no football (NFL or college), when the Twins used to be the only game in town. Just like farmers baling hay (memories of being at my Great Uncle's farm in Central Minnesota when I was ten years old, watching the Twins play in the evening on a grainy black & white TV).
Thank heavens for the Lynx. But there is something right in the world when the Twins win.
Glad to see this pick at #3.
Please God, just one Lombardi before I die.
Montana Tom wrote:
But there is something right in the world when the Twins win.
Glad to see this pick at #3.
Amen
I grew-up listening to the Twins on CCO in the summer...It's as right as rain and as the changing of the seasons in the Mn.
I worked in a Pohlad organization for 7 years and appreciated how they ran it; they respected the employees, paid well, great benefits, solid business plans and infrastructure.
But damn, the Pohlads have done just everything you could do as a baseball owner to alienate a fan-base.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
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