The Minnesota Twins used the third overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft on Sunday to select Vahn Lackey, a catcher from Georgia Tech, making him the program's highest-drafted backstop since Jason Varitek.
The draft began at noon Central time in Philadelphia, kicking off All-Star Week. Rounds one through four took place on day one, with rounds five through twenty scheduled to resume Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Central. The Twins held five total day-one selections, giving the organization one of its busiest draft openings in recent years.
According to Yahoo Sports, Lackey's path to the third overall pick was not a straight line. He was a late bloomer in Georgia high school baseball, received no Division I offers until his senior year in 2023, and attended few showcase events that typically attract scouts. His rise through three seasons at Georgia Tech was steep and steady.
As a junior, Lackey posted a .397 batting average, a .519 on-base percentage, and a .772 slugging percentage. MLB Pipeline ranked him the third overall prospect in the class and projected him as capable of hitting 25 to 30 home runs annually at the professional level. Scouts noted that his right-handed swing can get busy at times but that he makes consistent contact to all fields and rarely misses fastballs.
At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Lackey is considered extremely athletic for a catcher. There is broad agreement among evaluators that he can stick at the position, though his bat alone is considered strong enough to carry him even if a positional move became necessary later in his development.
The Twins' selection carries an extra layer of history. Minnesota has not taken a catcher in the first round since Joe Mauer, who went on to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Lackey now joins Varitek, Matt Wieters, Joey Bart, and Kevin Parada as first-round catchers out of Georgia Tech.
With Ryan Jeffers likely in his final year with the club, the organizational timeline creates a clear path for Lackey to develop and work his way up the system. How quickly he advances through the minor leagues will depend on how his tools translate to professional pitching.
The Twins sit in the thick of the playoff race entering the All-Star break despite an uneven first half. Adding a player with Lackey's profile gives the franchise a potential long-term answer behind the plate at a position that has been a point of strength for much of the franchise's recent history.
