Georgia Tech Lands 2 Top-8 MLB Draft Picks, a First in School History

Q: Why did two teams pass on a player some called the draft's best, letting him fall to the Twins?

He did not really “fall” in the usual draft sense; he went No. 3, exactly where many public boards had him, after two clubs simply preferred other elite options. The White Sox took UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky at No. 1. Industry reporting indicated Chicago valued Cholowsky’s polish, long track record and relative certainty, and there were also signs the club could save some bonus-pool money with that choice. Lackey was in the mix, but catcher carries more positional risk than a college shortstop, and some evaluators were wary that his huge 2026 season might be difficult to fully project forward. The Rays then chose prep shortstop Grady Emerson at No. 2. Tampa Bay was widely linked to both Emerson and Lackey, but the shortstops were often seen as having the edge. Emerson’s upside as a premium high school bat at shortstop fit the Rays’ preference, so Lackey became the remaining player from the draft’s top tier. There were also baseball reasons some teams could hesitate, even on a player FanGraphs ranked No. 1. Lackey’s breakout was relatively recent, his BABIP was unusually high, and his earlier summer-league production was modest, which gave some clubs reason to question how much of the offensive surge would carry into pro ball. So the Twins did not benefit from a dramatic slide as much as from a top-of-the-board split: Chicago preferred Cholowsky, Tampa Bay preferred Emerson, and Minnesota gladly took the catcher many believed was the best all-around player left.

3 articles · Updated · The Atlanta Journal Constitution · Jul 11

No. 3 pick Vahn Lackey went to the Twins and No. 8 Drew Burress to the Athletics, giving Georgia Tech two first-round selections for the first time.
Lackey capped his rise from a lightly recruited Suwanee high school senior by winning the Johnny Bench Award after hitting .397 with 20 homers and 78 RBIs in 61 games.
Burress, an outfielder, became the second Yellow Jackets player off the board after another standout season that added to his status as one of college baseball's top bats.
The pair provided a bright draft-night milestone for Georgia Tech after the Yellow Jackets' season ended earlier than expected.