ESPN recently published an updated list of the top 10 prospects for each MLB team, written by Kiley McDaniel. The Twins' rankings featured plenty of changes; shortstop Marek Houston jumped from No. 7 to No. 5, right-hander Riley Quick from No. 8 to No. 6 and left-hander Kendry Rojas from unranked to No. 7. Three players fell in the rankings, with catcher Eduardo Tait going from No. 5 to No. 8, left-hander Dasan Hill from No. 6 to No. 9 and outfielder Hendry Mendez from No. 9 to No. 10.
But the most notable difference in the list is the addition of catcher Vahn Lackey, whom McDaniel ranked as Minnesota's No. 2 prospect. That should generate plenty of excitement for Twins fans, as Lackey is ranked above highly-touted prospects Kaelen Culpepper (No. 3) and Emmanuel Rodriguez (No. 4).
Before this year's MLB Draft, the top three prospects in the class were UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Fort Worth Christian shortstop Grady Emerson and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. Since the Twins had the third overall pick, the front office seemed to have the easy decision of picking whoever would be available from the top three prospects. Minnesota ended up with Lackey, whom many view as the best of the three aforementioned players.
Emerson may have the most upside of the three, but it's difficult to project how high schoolers will fare in professional baseball. Cholowsky had long been viewed by most publications as the top prospect in the class, but Lackey's impressive junior season started discourse that the Georgia Tech catcher could be even better thatn Cholowsky.
Twins' Vahn Lackey is a true five-tool player
Lackey had a poor .711 OPS in his freshman season, then broke out with a strong .921 OPS in his sophomore year. The catcher took his game to a whole different level in his final collegiate season, slashing .397/.519/.722 with 20 home runs, 16 doubles, three triples, 78 RBI and 15 stolen bases over 61 games.
Lackey, 21, is a true five-tool player, which is rare to find in a catcher. His offensive stats from this past season prove he can hit for contact and power, and his 15 stolen bases show he also has speed. As for his defense, Lackey has a 60-grade arm and 55-grade fielding, both above-average marks. According to MLB Pipeline, Lackey is very athletic for his stature (6-foot-2, 215 pounds), is "very agile behind the plate" and should become a decent blocker and receiver.
There's really nothing not to like about Lackey. With Ryan Jeffers set to be a free agent at the end of this season, Lackey could become the Twins' starting catcher as soon as next year.
Add us as a preferred source on Google