The Silver Slugger Award winners will be announced on FanSided's "The Baseball Insiders" podcast in November. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the Twins will be represented among the winners. Last year, Byron Buxton was one of the outfielders to win the award. He appeared on track to win it again this year until his hip injury derailed his season. Ryan Jeffers also looked like an early candidate to win, but a hamate bone fracture sidelined him for nearly two months.
Since it's unlikely any Twins player will win a Silver Slugger Award this year, let's look at a promising prospect, catcher Vahn Lackey, who could win it in the future.
The Twins selected Lackey with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft out of Georgia Tech. Two players went before him, but many still view Lackey as the top player in the class after his breakout junior season, when he slashed .397/.519/.772 (170 wRC+) with 20 home runs, 78 RBI, and 18 stolen bases.
Minnesota Twins top catching prospect Vahn Lackey posted impressive numbers in his first pro season
The Twins promoted Lackey to High-A after just 15 Single-A games. The catcher hit just .204 in his 15 Single-A games, but he showed impressive patience with a .389 on-base percentage. He finished the season strong at High-A, hitting .316/.500/.500 with two home runs, seven RBI and eight stolen bases over 10 games.
It's extremely impressive that Lackey posted a 137 wRC+ in his first 25 professional games at 21. Not to mention, he stole 13 bases during those games.
Lackey has already shown impressive contact, patience, power and speed with the Twins organization. If he continues to find success as he rises through the organization, Lackey will undoubtedly win a Silver Slugger Award one day.
Most believe Lackey has the defensive skills to be a big-league catcher. If he keeps his position, he has a much better chance of winning the award than if he were moved to corner infield or the outfield, since there aren't many strong-hitting catchers in the American League these days.
In the American League, only two qualified catchers finished the year with a wRC+ above 100: Kansas City Royals' Carter Jensen (116) and Detroit Tigers' Dillon Dingler (107). Liam Hicks of the Tampa Bay Rays had a 123 wRC+ this year, but he spent most of the season with the Miami Marlins.
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