MINNEAPOLIS -- In Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, the Twins believe they have gotten not only a special baseball player, but a special person. But make no mistake, he is in fact a special baseball player.
Minnesota selected Lackey third overall in the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday, their highest pick since taking Royce Lewis No. 1 in 2017. He’s the first catcher to be the Twins’ first pick since they took Joe Mauer No. 1 overall in 2001.
“Just a great fit for our organization, on every front,” said Twins scouting director Sean Johnson. “Fantastic player, fantastic human being, great character. The more work we did on Vahn over the last few months going back to last summer, the glowing reviews -- he has raving fans wherever he’s been -- just a fantastic teammate, beyond the skills.”
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Lackey was a relatively late bloomer for a top-tier Draft prospect, racing up boards with a huge season for Georgia Tech this spring.
“It's really an honor,” he said. “I feel like just giving myself a shot to play at the next level, it's something a kid can only dream of, and it's really cool to see how I was when I was 11 to 13 to 15 to now. To see my progress through all of this has really been a cool thing to see for sure.”
A native of the Atlanta area, Lackey attended the same high school (Collins Hill) as former Heisman Trophy winner and 2025 No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick Travis Hunter. He is a right-handed hitter with impressive athleticism for a catcher. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, and he turned 21 earlier this week. He’s played some third base as well as catcher, but the belief is that he has the skills to stick behind the plate.
“We really just love the way, defensively, he can really throw, he’s athletic, he blocks, he does all the little things that you want to see a catcher do,” Johnson said. “He can take charge on the field. You can’t take your eyes off him when he’s out there. His presence is really good. All the things you want to see, the intangibles, he has them.”
Lackey, MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 Draft prospect, is the latest in a long line of decorated catching prospects to play for the Yellow Jackets. He is the fifth backstop from the school to be taken in the first round in the past 35 years, joining Jason Varitek, Matt Wieters, Joey Bart and Kevin Parada.
While teams don’t always draft for need, it can’t be ignored that Lackey could have a wide open path to the Major Leagues if he comes along quickly. Current starter Ryan Jeffers, who just came back from the injured list, is eligible for free agency at the end of the season. And there’s a dearth of catching depth in the top levels of the organization, with the club’s top catching prospect, Eduardo Tait, currently at High-A Cedar Rapids.
Johnson was emphatic, though, that Lackey was simply the best player available -- a view that aligns with industry consensus.
“The more we went in to scout Georgia Tech, our guys kept coming out of there going, ‘I thought he was the best player on the field,’” Johnson said. “More than half of our staff saw Georgia Tech this spring. … Every time we sent someone in there to see him that hadn’t seen him before -- and we had people that hadn’t seen him for a while now -- they all came out with the same answer. He’s hard to take your eyes off when you see him play.”
Lackey was a deserving recipient of the 2026 Johnny Bench Award as the best male catcher in NCAA Division I. He hit .397 with 20 homers and 78 RBIs across 61 games, steering Georgia Tech to ACC regular-season and tournament titles. Lackey’s 1.291 OPS was a top-10 mark in the country, among qualified hitters.
He did not receive his first collegiate offer until his senior year of high school -- on the other side of a growth spurt -- and was not considered much of a prospect out of Collins Hill.
Lackey made a tremendous leap in his sophomore year, transforming into one of the best backstops in the country. He hit .347 with a .921 OPS and started all 60 games. As a junior, Lackey elevated his game to yet another level as part of a dominant Tech offense.
“I feel like the learning aspect allowed me to grow so much more,” he said. “Being surrounded by those guys hitting at the highest level, and all you have to do is compete with them and you find yourself getting the best of you. You get to experience new things in your swing and ask people about new things, and being able to know that if you don't get it done, somebody behind you can get it done as well.”