For now, Eduardo Tait, whom the Twins acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies as part of the Jhoan Duran trade last summer, appears to be Minnesota's catcher of the future. Enrique Jimenez, whom the Twins acquired from the Detroit Tigers as part of the Chris Paddack trade in July, is another catcher in the Twins' organization who looks like a future big leaguer.
However, MLB.com predicts that Minnesota will add another promising catcher to its system via the 2026 MLB Draft.
MLB's latest 2026 mock draft has Twins selecting Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey in first round
MLB Pipeline has Lackey, who stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs 215 pounds, ranked as the 12th-best 2026 Draft prospect.
Lackey, a right-handed hitter, is actually slightly older than Tait and Jimenez at 20 years and 278 days old. Heading into Georgia Tech's game against Florida State last night, the Yellow Jackets catcher held an absurd .405/.520/.793 slash line with 11 homers, 10 doubles, two triples, 42 RBI and seven stolen bases through 33 games this season. Over his past three seasons with Georgia Tech, Lackey held a .337/.432/.560 slash line with 21 homers, 26 doubles, 99 RBI and 26 stolen bases before last night's game.
It took a while for Lackey to become a highly-touted draft prospect. The catcher didn't receive any NCAA Division I offers until his senior year in 2023, and he hit just .214/.330/.381 over 36 games in his freshman year. He took his game as a collegiate player to the next level last year, hitting .347/.421/.500 across 60 games. Even so, he hit just six homers last season, and has already nearly doubled that total with his 11 home runs this year.
As for his defense, Lackey is an agile catcher with a strong and accurate arm. He has also logged innings at third base with Georgia Tech.
Unless the Twins extend or re-sign catcher Ryan Jeffers, who is set to be a free agent at the conclusion of this season, Minnesota will need a new starting catcher. Victor Caratini, who is under contract through next season, could succeed Jeffers as the Twins' starting catcher in 2027. But after that, the Twins will need someone to assume the role.
As of now, Tait appears to be the main candidate to become the Twins' starting catcher in a couple of years. However, many question Tait's defensive ability. Jimenez could be a solid MLB catcher, but he isn't as highly-regarded as Tait.
Meanwhile, Lackey appears to be a solid defender behind the plate. By drafting Lackey, the Twins would add to their strong group of minor-league catchers, a position that lacks stars these days.