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Twins Draft Georgia Tech Catcher Vahn Lackey Third Overall

7/13/2026

Summary

Twins Draft Lackey

Minnesota Twins selected Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey third overall in the 2026 MLB Draft on July 11.
He posted a .397/.519/.772 line with 20 homers, a 1.291 OPS, earned first-team All-America honors and the Johnny Bench Award.
His pick, alongside Drew Burress taken eighth overall by Oakland, gave Georgia Tech its first top-10 draft selections.
The Twins have not chosen a catcher first overall since Joe Mauer in 2001.

Summary

Lackey Dominates

Georgia Tech fields five first-round catchers—Varitek, Wieters, Parada, Bart and Lackey—making it the only program with that many backstops.
Lackey earned a Division-I offer, posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, won ACC Defensive Player of the Year and the Johnny Bench Award in 2025.
His 2026 season produced a 5.66 WAR, .397 average and 1.307 OPS, ranking him fifth nationally in OPS before the NCAA tournament.

Summary

Minnesota Picks Lackey

Picks 11-40 will stream live on Peacock, Major League Baseball (MLB) Network, MLB.com, MLB TV and MLB+ from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. CDT.
UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky was the No. 1 pick by the Chicago White Sox while Fort Worth Christian High School shortstop Grady Emerson went No. 2 to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Minnesota chose Vahn Lackey as a potential Ryan Jeffers replacement, with MLB Pipeline assigning a 60 overall grade, a 55 fielding grade, and noting his third-base innings at Georgia Tech.

History

Historical Context

After selecting catcher Joe Mauer first overall in the 2001 draft—who posted a .365 average, won the 2009 AL MVP and entered the Hall of Fame in 2024—the Twins have taken only three other first-round catchers. Vahn Lackey, a 2025-26 Johnny Bench Award winner, becomes the first top-three catcher chosen since Mauer, prompting hopes he can replicate that franchise-shaping impact.

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Twins Draft Lackey

Minnesota Twins selected Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey third overall in the 2026 MLB Draft on July 11.
He posted a .397/.519/.772 line with 20 homers, a 1.291 OPS, earned first-team All-America honors and the Johnny Bench Award.
His pick, alongside Drew Burress taken eighth overall by Oakland, gave Georgia Tech its first top-10 draft selections.
The Twins have not chosen a catcher first overall since Joe Mauer in 2001.

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