The Minnesota Twins are not lacking in terms of talent behind the plate.
Ryan Jeffers is entering free agency after hitting 14 home runs with an .814 OPS in 2026, while Vahn Lackey has emerged as one of baseball's top catching prospects.
Lackey finished his first professional season at High-A Cedar Rapids. He slashed .316/.500/.500 for a 1.000 OPS across 10 games.
Eduardo Tait also deserves a mention. The 20-year-old shared the field with Lackey during their time together in High-A, with Tait getting time at designated hitter while Lackey handled the catching duties.
However, one catcher is currently further along in the farm system than either Lackey or Tait and could soon put himself on Minnesota’s radar for a bigger opportunity.
After his promotion to Double-A, Khadim Diaw hit .314/.430/.449 with an .879 OPS. As an added bonus, Diaw has logged time at all three outfield positions, according to FanGraphs. That versatility, combined with his offensive production, makes it worth wondering whether the Twins should consider promoting him, even if it means ditching the catching gear.
Multiple Developmental Options
The simplest option would be to keep Diaw at his natural catcher position. According to MLB Pipeline, he possesses a 50-grade arm and 45-grade fielding ability, hardly the projection of a future Platinum Glove winner, but there is some ability there. Factor in his age, his developmental head start over Lackey and Tait, and Ryan Jeffers' impending free agency, and letting Diaw grow without much intervention is a reasonable path to take.
That reasonable path is also the unfun and boring one, so it is worth exploring the other options Minnesota has for that reason alone.
One possibility would be moving Diaw to an outfield position in order to give him the chance to focus on improving his hitting skills. Maintaining a .400 on-base percentage would be impressive for any position player, let alone a catcher. Diaw's skill and composure at the plate are promising, but the defensive responsibility that comes with playing the catcher position could slow his offensive growth down.
That slower growth would be a detriment and prevent Diaw from improving his power. With a power-grade of 40 and a .449 slugging percentage, Diaw seems to be more of a contact-oriented player. This is fine for a catcher, but could cause some issues in the corner outfield, where more power is expected due to the lower defensive responsibility. If Diaw did hit a reasonable ceiling of .290/.380/.440, that slash line would still be valuable, but carry much more weight if he combined that with solid defense at catcher.
Moving Diaw to the outfield could create more room for Lackey, who projects as the better defensive catcher with a 60-grade arm and 55-grade fielding ability. Tait is still developing and has time to improve his 45-grade fielding tool.
With Jeffers future in Minnesota uncertain, keeping Diaw at catcher seems like the most logical approach for now. If Jeffers returns, the Twins could give Diaw reps in the outfield. If he leaves, then Diaw could have a clear path to the major-league roster next season.
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