The Minnesota Twins have high hopes for Vahn Lackey after taking him third overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. The franchise’s highest-drafted catcher since Joe Mauer was taken with the first overall pick in the 2001 draft, Lackey’s bat is good enough to live up to those expectations. But in his first five games in professional baseball, Lackey has shown that his defense is also worth talking about.
Lackey showed off his arm behind the plate, throwing out a runner in the third inning of a game against the Bradenton Marauders on Tuesday night. While it was only his third game behind the plate and fifth overall, the play saw him throw out the fifth runner of his professional career and could signal the Twins have more than just a big bat coming through the pipeline.
Vahn Lackey’s defense just as exciting as his bat
Lackey was one of three blue-chip prospects in this year’s draft along with shortstops Roch Cholowsky and Grady Emerson. While Cholowsky and Emerson were selected by the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays in the first two picks in the draft, the Twins may have gotten the best player available because of what Lackey did at the plate over his last two seasons at Georgia Tech.
The 21-year-old broke out by hitting .347/.422/.500 with six homers, 42 RBI and 18 stolen bases in 60 games during the 2025 season. But the blip on the radar turned into a heat wave when Lackey hit .397/.519/.772 with 20 homers, 78 RBI and 15 stolen bases on 16 attempts last season including a pair of moonshots during the NCAA Tournament.
While those numbers are impressive, his defense also improved Lackey’s draft stock. Lackey threw out six runners on 31 stolen base attempts last year at Georgia Tech and threw out 4-of-13 base stealers during a stint in the Cape Cod Baseball League last summer. Teams have already tried to run on Lackey frequently as he acclimates to new competition, but Lackey has done well, throwing out 5-of-12 (42 percent) baserunners in three games behind the plate.
Vahn Lackey is making the Twins’ future look even brighter after 2026 draft
It’s impossible to know if Lackey will continue to play like this as pitchers adjust to him at the plate and baserunners adjust to him behind it. But if his post-draft hype is any indication, the Twins could have a future All-Star on the way.
Lackey is hitting .263/.500/.316 so far and smacked a double in Tuesday’s loss to the Pirates. He also debuted as the No. 2 prospect in the organization and the No. 20 prospect overall on a post-draft top 100 prospects list by The Athletic’s Keith Law that was posted on July 23.
“Lackey might end up a plus defensive catcher with plus power and a plus hit tool, which may as well be a jackalope given how rare that profile is,” Law wrote. “We’ll have to see how his power surge this spring holds up in pro ball and whether his long-term future really is behind the plate given his rigors of the position.”
Five games in, Lackey definitely looks like a prospect who can stick behind the plate. With Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper and Marek Houston also on the way, it’s also looking like Lackey can be a pillar in an exciting young core the Twins are building after the 2026 draft.
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