Two former Pit Spitters taken in first round of MLB Draft
Two former Pit Spitters went in the first round, with Vahn Lackey at No. 3 overall and Daniel Jackson at No. 37, a franchise first for Traverse City.
Vahn Lackey and Daniel Jackson turned a summer in Traverse City into a draft-night milestone, with both former Pit Spitters taken among the first 37 picks in the 2026 MLB Draft. It was the first time in franchise history that two ex-Pit Spitters were selected in the first round of the same draft, and Lackey’s No. 3 overall selection by the Minnesota Twins made him the highest-drafted former Pit Spitter ever.
Lackey’s rise carries the kind of backstory that gives the Pit Spitters a recruiting pitch well beyond the Northwoods League schedule at Turtle Creek Stadium. MLB Pipeline ranked him the No. 3 overall prospect and listed him as a catcher. He was a late bloomer who did not receive an NCAA Division I offer until his senior year of high school. He logged 176 plate appearances with Traverse City in the summer of 2024.
Jackson went 37th overall to the Colorado Rockies after a decorated 2026 season at the University of Georgia. He won the Golden Spikes Award, announced June 29, 2026, and was one of three finalists. Jackson also captured the Dick Howser Trophy, the Buster Posey Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award and the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award, while being named the 2026 Division I National Position Player of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings Sporting Goods.
His college numbers made the selection look inevitable. Jackson started all 67 games for Georgia in 2026, including 57 behind the plate and 10 at designated hitter, and helped the Bulldogs go 53-14 and reach the semifinals of the College World Series. He became the first catcher in NCAA Division I history to hit 25 home runs and steal 25 bases in the same season, and his year included a school-record 87 RBI.
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