The No. 3 overall pick needed only 15 games in Single-A before the Twins moved him up, and he announced his arrival right away.
The Minnesota Twins are wasting no time with their top draft pick.
Vahn Lackey, the catcher the club selected with the No. 3 overall pick in July's draft, was promoted from Single-A Fort Myers to High-A Cedar Rapids on Monday, and on Tuesday night he made the decision look easy.
Facing Lake County in his Kernels debut, the 21-year-old went 3-for-4 with a home run, two walks, three RBI and three runs scored while batting second and handling the catching duties.
Cedar Rapids lost a 19-18 slugfest, but his night was the first impression a farm system dreams about.
The Debut
The homer came early, a third-inning drive to left-center field, and Lackey kept reaching base all night while even adding a stolen base.
The performance capped a fast-moving month for the Georgia Tech product, who became the first catcher Minnesota has taken with its first-round pick since Joe Mauer in 2001.
Lackey hit .204 with a .389 on-base percentage and one home run in 15 games for Fort Myers, showing patience even while the batting average lagged, and his first professional homer came just days before the promotion, on August 21 against Palm Beach.
Twins scouting director Sean Johnson made no secret of how the front office felt about him in July.
"Just a great fit for our organization, on every front. Fantastic player, fantastic human being, great character," Johnson said after the pick, per MLB.com.
Ahead of Him
Catching is a position the big-league club has to think about.
Ryan Jeffers has hit .277 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI in 69 games this season, and how the organization handles the position long term will shape how fast Lackey climbs.
The parent club is in the thick of a playoff race at 64-69, three games out of the final wild card spot entering Wednesday, and the organization has kept churning through roster moves this month, from adding bullpen depth to watching Ryan Kreidler face his childhood team.
A wave of young talent arriving while the major-league roster fights for October is the healthiest sign this franchise has shown in years.
What Comes Next for Lackey
Nobody should expect Lackey in Minneapolis soon, since one High-A game is still one game, and the development plan for catchers tends to move slowly.
The smart way to read this promotion is as a statement about his readiness to be challenged.
The draft-night framing around Lackey was always about the long game, and nothing about a fast August changes that, but an organization letting a college hitter move as quickly as his at-bats allow is a good sign for everyone involved.
The big-league rotation has had its rough patches lately, as Connor Prielipp's mid-inning troubles showed earlier this month, so a position player forcing his way up the ladder gives everybody something simple to enjoy.
Lackey will keep getting his work in with Cedar Rapids, and every box score he puts up is suddenly worth checking for a fan base that could use the good news.
