Georgia Tech baseball saw its season end earlier than expected, but the Yellow Jackets also saw two of their standout players go early in Saturday’s MLB draft.
Catcher Vahn Lackey went No. 3 overall to the Twins and outfielder Drew Burress was selected eighth by the Athletics. It’s the first time Georgia Tech has had teammates selected in the first round in school history.
Lackey, at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, was a late bloomer from Suwanee, and he didn’t get any Division I college offers until his senior year at Collins Hill High School. At Tech, he became the country’s best catcher, earning the Johnny Bench Award last month.
In 61 games this season, Lackey hit .397 with 20 home runs and 85 RBIs, finished with a 1.291 OPS and added 15 stolen bases. He helped the Yellow Jackets assemble one of the best offensive lineups in country before they lost in the regionals to Oklahoma.
“He’s easily the best catcher in the draft,” MLB draft analyst Jim Callis said on the NBC Sports broadcast. “This is as complete a package as you can find in a catcher. It kind of reminds me of the J.T. Realmuto kind of combination, where he can do everything behind the plate.
“You just don’t see that very often.”
For the Twins, Lackey becomes their first catcher drafted in the first round since they selected Hall of Fame backstop Joe Mauer first overall in 2001.
The legacy of “Catcher U” at Georgia Tech continues, with Lackey following in the line of standout backstops that includes Jason Varitek, Matt Wieters, Joey Bart and Kevin Parada.
Burress, at 5-9, 185 pounds, had a school-record 60 career home runs in three seasons, breaking the mark Varitek set in four seasons. Burress had nine home runs in his first eight games — and packs a punch with his smaller frame.
He is the only player in Georgia Tech’s 131-year history to be a first-team All-America selection in every season of his college career. Burress hit .358, had a 1.13 OPS and was an outstanding defender in the outfield.
In his career-best season, Burress scored 82 runs, his third straight season with at least 70 runs.
Burress, 21, generates power from the right side and could be a long-term option in center field for the A’s.
Also for Tech, second baseman Jarren Advincula went to the Angels in the second round (45th overall) and Carson Kerce was drafted in the second round (53rd) by the Diamondbacks.
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