The Minnesota Twins officially wrapped up the MLB Draft this weekend and they added several players who can make an impact for the organization. While the Twins added some quality arms to help on the mound and some position players for depth, their biggest moves looked to address their depth at the catcher position.
The Twins started out big by selecting Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey with the third overall pick in the draft and doubled up behind the plate by taking Texas backstop Carson Tinney with the 43rd overall pick in the second round. With Cal catcher Hideki Prather joining the class in the 17th round, the Twins have a strong group that could make the position one of the strongest in the organization after last week’s draft.
It took just one year for the Twins to revamp their catching depth
Twins fans who had been keeping tabs on the draft know what Lackey can do. A late bloomer who enjoyed a breakout with the Yellow Jackets this spring, Lackey hit .397/.519/.772 with 20 homers, 78 RBI and 15 stolen bases on 16 attempts and has the athleticism and instincts to stay behind the plate defensively. Becoming the Twins’ highest-drafted catcher since Joe Mauer in 2001 also isn’t a bad accomplishment, but it wasn’t the only pick that enhanced their depth at the position.
Tinney is another backstop with upside at the plate, hitting .326/.483/.688 with 22 homers, 58 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts. While The Athletic’s Keith Law said his best position is the “batter’s box,” MLB.com’s Matthew Leach added that the club believes he can “stick behind the plate,” giving the Twins another prospect with offensive upside.
That left Prather to tie it all together. A transfer from Clemson, Prather put himself on the map going back home to play at Cal last season, hitting .333/.421/.632 with 14 homers and 46 RBI in 52 games for the Golden Bears.
The Twins’ new trio of backstops should have an instant impact in the organization and it puts Minnesota at a much different spot than it was one year ago.
After whiffing on a trade for Diego Cartaya last spring, the Twins acquired Eduardo Tait in the Jhoan Duran deal as part of last year’s fire sale. Tait has since become the Twins' No. 3 prospect behind Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper according to MLB Pipeline and is currently hitting .216/.280/.420 with 15 homers and 52 RBI as a 19-year-old at High-A Cedar Rapids.
The Twins also have another catching prospect from the trade deadline in Enrique Jimenez. Acquired from the Detroit Tigers for Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak, Jimenez is hitting .232/.400/.402 with five homers and 14 RBI and has reached Cedar Rapids in his first full year in the Twins system.
Tait’s upside is promising, but so is Khadim Diaw’s. A third-round pick in the 2024 draft, Diaw hit .297/.450/.445 with four homers and 24 RBI in his first full professional season in 2025 and has backed it up by hitting .285/.404/.412 with five homers and 36 RBI between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita this season.
With the existing talent thriving and the addition of three promising prospects, the Twins are hoping that one of these players could become Minnesota’s first All-Star catcher since Kurt Suzuki in 2014. Even if they don’t get to that level, having one or two of them become productive major leaguers would be a huge boost and help the Twins contend in the American League for years to come.
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