Should Twins Draft Vahn Lackey? Examining the Pros and Cons of Minnesota’s Potential Pick at No. 3

[jkcarew]

He isn’t rated in the top 3 because he’s a catcher. He’s there because he’s been raking for 2 years now in the best college conference there is, AND he’s a good defensive prospect at the position, also considered athletic.

Never guaranteed with any of these guys that it translates to the majors…but the guys that are showing significant warts at this point in their development…the high ceiling but lowish floor guys…even if they’re catchers, don’t get ranked this high.

I’m pulling for one of the college guys. If Lackey, fine.

[twinstalker]

Not a fan of taking Lackey.  I'd rather take the best pitcher or maybe even Jacob Lombard, who is supposed to be better than his brother (a top ten overall prospect) was at the same stage.

Georgia Tech catchers have been overrated for years.  Also, I know it's a super small sample, but if you're worthy of the #3 pick in the draft, you probably don't go 3 for 25 in the Cape Cod League.  You can disregard it, but really most college players' real value comes out in the CCBL.  Lackey struck out 6 of 26 PA.  For comparison, Cholowsky played there a full year younger and struck out 7 times in 65 PA.

Georgia Tech is a hitters' paradise.  Numbers are inflated big time, and it's only really behind Tennesse for big-time schools (a major reason I didn't like Billy Amick).  You can't ignore this by hoping it's untrue or thinking this doesn't apply to a hitter you like or want.  I would pass on Vahn Lackey and take Lombard or a top pitcher if both Cholowsky and Emerson are gone.

And by the way, TB is flush in catching prospects, namely Nathan Flewelling, who is very likely better than Lackey.  They're flush in shortstop prospects, too, though play them elsewhere, who cares.  The biggest thing the Twins can hope for is that the Rays take the best pitcher and leave Roch or Grady for the Twins.

[DasBat]

I personally hope Emerson falls.  I doubt Cholowsky does.  Wouldn't mind Lackey but I think I'd prefer Flora.  The Twins have done a decent job developing lower tiered arms.  I'd like to see what they can do with someone that has the arm talent he does

[Andy MacPhail]

I really liked Teal as a college catcher & IMO, Lackey is better. I see him making it to the MLB fairly soon & Tait is no sure thing to make it at all. It's not bad to pick according to need especially when he'll be the best player at #3. Finding a primary catcher is like finding a dinosaur, if Lackey doesn't become one especially in the beginning, that's ok. Hope the Twins find someone who can further his development.

[RaoulDuke]

Picking 3rd in a draft with 3 prospects that have separated themselves.  Much like the Walker Jenkins draft take whomever is left and hope they live up to the hype.

I will be very excited if they end up with him but I would prefer one of the SS.

Catcher to me is not a position I want to ideally spend a top pick on, Mauer/ Posey are the unicorns but they are so rare.  Catching prospects are limited in durability and development time.

All things considered I would much rather have a SS or CF that has the real defensive chops and can hit than a catcher in the same situation.  There is just so much more value in the speed and utility that can bring.

A great SS/ CF is a franchise cornerstone, a great catcher is a champagne cornerstone.

 

[RaoulDuke]

1 hour ago, DasBat said:

I personally hope Emerson falls.  I doubt Cholowsky does.  Wouldn't mind Lackey but I think I'd prefer Flora.  The Twins have done a decent job developing lower tiered arms.  I'd like to see what they can do with someone that has the arm talent he does

I would love to see them draft a starter.  This front office has so rarely done it with a top of the draft pick.

The bats seem to be 1-3 but I would not hate them drafting Flora all things considered.

[Fatbat]

10 hours ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

If recent history has shown us anything, we'll fret and hem & haw about Lackey at #3 for the next 3 weeks only to watch him go at #2 and go onto have a HOF career while the Twins reach for an economically responsible pick (aka HS short-stop) who doesn't sniff the majors until 2032.

 

Or ever… cavaco

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, RaoulDuke said:

I would love to see them draft a starter.  This front office has so rarely done it with a top of the draft pick.

The bats seem to be 1-3 but I would not hate them drafting Flora all things considered.

I'm easy to please.  All they have to do is guess right!

[Riverbrian]

Catchers have over inflated value. If you don't develop them... you have to over pay to get them. I'd rather be on the good side of this position scarcity to take advantage of the market... rather than the market taking advantage of you. If we have a pile of catchers that are major league talent. That's good... you can trade some of the pile at higher rates.  

When it comes to the draft. I refrain from personal opinions. It doesn't matter the sport. I will read the articles out of curiosity or for pure fun but... I simply refuse to let what I read influence my opinion so I simply don't have an opinion on individual players... I won't yell at the front office for taking a guy that someone else writing an article wasn't as sure about. 

With that said. It'll be the third pick overall so we need to be successful. If there are such things as tiebreakers between prospects with the front office and I assume there are.

I'd be perfectly comfortable with the team considering inflated catcher value as a tie breaker... if they are choosing between two.

I know very little about Vahn Lackey. But... taking the best catcher in the draft sounds like a good idea to me. Jeffers is the only catcher we have produced in a long time and he is going away. It's time to quit failing at the catcher position.   

[Mike Sixel]

I wanted Teal, so I clearly want this guy. 

But I think the team would be happy with any of the three hitters or the top pitcher. 

[Charleo]

On 6/1/2026 at 8:42 AM, HrbieFan said:

He will be there and if the Twins don't take him, he might not go top 10. I am in favor of this pick, only if we have agreed in principal to a below slot contract 

Huh??   Why would the consensus #3 player in the draft take under slot for going 3rd?  If we don't pick him, he goes 4th, dude.  What a weird take.....

 

[ashbury]

6 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Catchers have over inflated value. 

In other contexts you have said that you are fine with cobbling together a catching tandem from the scrapheap rather than overpay.  You and I are in general agreement that the nature of the position makes it a different beast to prioritize than the other 7 position player spots; in particular, not even the best catchers play the position every day so then you have a roster problem trying to DH him on a part-time basis yet on a regular schedule.  

So, is investing the #3 overall pick in a catcher any less of an overpay?  Historically 6 of the top 7 #3 picks have been shortstops or third basemen when drafted.  Those guys play every day and the best ones rack up yearly value like crazy.

It's great to have a HOFer like Mauer as your catcher, or even "just" an all-star, but my own view is that top tier catching is a rich team's territory, unless you luck into one.

I very much liked taking Jeffers as a second round pick.  Standout catcher Cal Raleigh was a third rounder. Daulton Varsho was also a second rounder, although by now he's been moved off the position.  Sean Murphy was very good for a while and he was a third rounder.  I looked mostly in that era, because we have a handle on how the guys have turned out, but more recently Dillon Dingler, a second rounder, looks like he's panning out.

More second and third round catchers, please!  Johnny Bench was picked by the Reds in the second round and Gary Carter lasted into the third.  😁

[Riverbrian]

7 minutes ago, ashbury said:

So, is investing the #3 overall pick in a catcher any less of an overpay?

Big Picture.

Yeah... it would be the same thing. 

It would also be an overpay. 

My desire to take the catching position more seriously come draft time and then the subsequent develop time got the best of me and I ran ahead of myself. 

You are correct. It would also be an overpay in the same vein. 

 

[ashbury]

14 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Big Picture.

Yeah... it would be the same thing. 

It would also be an overpay. 

My desire to take the catching position more seriously come draft time and then the subsequent develop time got the best of me and I ran ahead of myself. 

You are correct. It would also be an overpay in the same vein. 

 

Just for balance, since we're aligned, I'll play devil's advocate and acknowledge that my philosophy as stated would have caused me to miss out on our 21st century hall of famer.  In the post I was replying to, you also stated, "With that said. It'll be the third pick overall so we need to be successful."  That's the most important thing. 

There are no absolutes.  You were looking at tie-breakers - I view it as a tie-breaker in the opposite direction than you proposed.

I just hope that our FO has the wisdom to identify the low-hanging fruit*, the diamond just sitting there in the sand, because at #3 it will be there.  If the brain trust is looking at the next Joe Mauer, and are certain he has the bat, he has the glove, he has the durability, and most importantly he has the makeup, then they have to take him, "overpay" be damned.

* Sometimes that can be a metaphor for a mistake, or for the obvious,, but I don't mean it that way.  Low hanging fruit can be the sweetest, and it goes fast.

[Riverbrian]

We are aligned. 

But now you got 162 game Bopper in my head with the third pick.

Is Aaron Judge available this draft?

That's who I want now. 

[ashbury]

6 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

We are aligned. 

But now you got 162 game Bopper in my head with the third pick.

Is Aaron Judge available this draft?

That's who I want now. 

Manny Machado went #3 sixteen years ago.

He'd do.

[Riverbrian]

Just now, ashbury said:

Manny Machado went #3 sixteen years ago.

He'd do.

Perfect... Aaron Judge went 32nd overall so he's probably gone by the time our 2nd round pick comes around and if he does slide to 42. You and I are probably grabbing Luis Campusano in that spot.