CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Vahn Lackey, the Minnesota Twins’ first-round pick and third overall selection in this year’s Major League Baseball draft, has posted a batting average of .556 through his first three games with the Cedar Rapids Kernels.
Lackey did not start playing baseball until he was about 11 years old. On his first Little League team, he was not playing catcher until one moment changed that.
“We had a lefty catcher on our team. The parents group chat was complaining about how we had a lefty catcher. My dad said, ‘Vahn can catch.’ That’s how I started catching,” Lackey said.
Path to Georgia Tech
No Division I school offered Lackey until his senior year of high school. He committed to Georgia Tech and started less than half of his team’s games during his freshman year.
“I came into college and I was failing again. I was just frustrated with failing again. I went to the Northwoods League, and I learned how to fail. I learned that a lot of things weren’t internal. Like, it wasn’t my swing. It was just me competing in the moment. I made that switch from my freshman to sophomore year,” Lackey said.
Turnaround as a sophomore
As a sophomore, Lackey started every game. His batting average rose from .214 to .347. He began tracking as a top prospect.
“He had to work for it. Not having a good freshman year, maybe that opened his eyes. In today’s college world, you may look at some kids who transfer. Vahn’s a case of persistence, where he put in the work, and really took advantage of the opportunities that he was given at Georgia Tech,” Kernels manager Brian Meyer said.
“I document all of my swings on my phone. It’s kind of like seeing your progress at every step and at every level. Seeing the changes you’ve made. You can see the changes you’ve made mentally too. So it’s really cool to see the progress,” Lackey said.
Lackey will look to ascend quickly to the majors.
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