Twins Minor League Report (8/7): Walker Jenkins' Big Day; Big Week Ahead in St. Paul

[Seth Stohs]

Twins top pick Walker Jenkins had a bit of a breakout game. And, there are a lot of exciting things happening at CHS Field. If you're able, you will definitely want to see some games there this week. 

Walker Jenkins is an incredibly exciting prospect for the Twins and he had a big day in the FCL today. But there are some exciting prospects who finally made their way to the Saints last week and will be playing their first games at CHS Field this week. In addition, the organization's most electric player begins his rehab with the Saints and may have an opportunity on Wednesday to face a high school opponent and Team USA teammate who is rehabbing as well. In addition, there are some really, really cool events planned for the fans at the stadium. And one of the premiere prospect gurus will be at CHS Field on Friday night to sign copies of his new book. So much more below, so check out today's Minor League Report. And check out @Jeremy Nygaard's Minor League Week in Review as well. 

Here are the records of the Twins and their six affiliates through games on Monday. 
Minnesota Twins: 60-54
St. Paul Saints: 61-46 
Wichita Wind Surge: 43-58
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 63-39
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 49-53
FCL Twins: 18-25
DSL Twins: 9-32 

Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. 

TRANSACTIONS
  Kernels closer Miguel Rodriguez was promoted to Double-A Wichita.
  LHP Jarret Whorff was promoted from Fort Myers to Cedar Rapids.
  The Mighty Mussels have added RHP John Klein from the FCL Twins.
  RHP and 2022 Competitive Balance Pick Charlee Soto has been assigned to the FCL Twins.
  Infielder Cole Tate decided to retire. 

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul, Louisville 
The Saints are back at home for the next two weeks with another exciting week of event and ball games. 

Of course, I’m guessing the #1 reason to get to CHS Field just might be because Brooks Lee, Yunior Severino, and DaShawn Keirsey were promoted to the Saints last week and will be playing their first games at home. 

Oh, and Royce Lewis is set to begin his rehab assignment with the Saints. For sure, you'll want to see that pitching matchup on Wednesday. (also, be sure to "Like" Twins Daily on Facebook)

But I want to encourage you to head to CHS Field on Friday for that game (and the others too, of course). You may have seen him on MLB Network, and on MLB.com’s draft coverage, he certainly knows prospects. Jonathan Mayo will be at the ballpark that night signing copies of his new book, Smart, Wrong, and Lucky; The Origin Stories of Baseball’s Unexpected Stars. I got my copy on Amazon a few weeks ago, and I will tell you it is fantastic. 

In addition, Jonathan is a terrific person who clearly loves what he is doing and has a strong passion for writing about, talking about, and really promoting prospects and the minor leagues and the scouts who found them. Get to meet him at CHS Field on Friday (August 11th). 

In addition, Harvey Kuenn III will be recognized for being named to the Roland Hemond Scouts Hall of Fame.

And hey, there will be some really good baseball being played with some really intriguing players. 
Tuesday: Simeon Woods Richardson
Wednesday: Randy Dobnak
Thursday: Blayne Enlow vs. a rehabbing Hunter Greene (with a rehabbing Royce Lewis… that’s three Team USA teammates from their high school days)
Friday: Louie Varland
Saturday: TBD
Sunday: Simeon Woods Richardson 

Tickets Available! Click here.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids , Quad Cities 
If you happen to be in eastern Iowa or western Illinois, head to the Quad Cities this week and check out one of the most photogenic stadiums in minor-league baseball, and see a really good, really young Kernels team take on the River Bandits. Here are the pitching probables: 
Tuesday: Zebby Matthews
Wednesday: Kyle Jones
Thursday: Christian MacLeod
Friday: Andrew Morris
Saturday: Cory Lewis
Sunday: C.J. Culpepper

COMPLEX THOUGHTS from FLORIDA
FCL Twins 9, FCL Rays 7 
Box Score
Walker Jenkins had a pretty big role in the Twins win on Monday afternoon. It was quite the breakout. He came to the plate with two outs in the top of the first inning and rippled a double to left field. With no score, Jenkins came to the plate in the top of the third inning. The bases were loaded. Jenkins crushed the first home run of his professional career, a grand slam that gave the team a 4-0 lead.

The Twins scored another four runs in the fourth inning to take an 8-0 lead. First, Isaac Pena singled in Wilfri Castro. Pena stole a base, and when Daniel Pena walked on a pitch that went to the backstop which brought in another run. Soon after, Jenkins walked to load the bases. That was followed by a Brandon Winokur walk that allowed Daniel Pena to score. Jose Salas scored on a wild pitch, the Twins eighth run of the game. 

In the ninth inning, Harold Grant scored the team’s ninth run on a wild pitch. When it was 8-0, one would have been surprised to know that it was a nice insurance run. 

Jacob Wosinski made the start. He was charged with two runs on four hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out five batters. Kyle Bischoff came on and was charged with four runs (2 earned) on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out just one batter. Yon Landaeta came on and went the final 2 1/3 innings. He gave up an unearned run on one hit. He walked two and struck out two to record his third save. 

Along with his first pro homer, he added his second double. He was 2-for-5 with a walk. Jose Rodriguez went 2-for-4 and hit his ninth double. Isaac Pena was 2-for-3 with his third triple. He also stole his eighth base. Byron Chourio led off and reached three times via walk.  

Jose Salas was in a lineup for the first time since July 16th when the Kernels were playing in Cedar Rapids. He was first placed on the Kernels’ development list, but recently he was activated and assigned to the FCL Twins. Monday was his first game. He went 1-for-5 with a walk and two runs scored. He played second base and had an error. He just turned 20 years old. The average age of players in the FCL is 19.5. The average age in the Florida State League is 21.1. He was in Cedar Rapids and the average Midwest League player is 22.2. As you can see, this “reset” should not damper his ceiling in the eyes of fans. Maybe the Marlins pushed him way too fast a year ago by getting him to High-A so quickly. At the same time, it also lowers his potential floor. That said, I’m a big believer in taking that step back, just playing, working on things and then getting back. As we often say, “prospect development is rarely linear.” 

COMPLEX THOUGHTS from BOCA CHICA
DSL Twins 1, DSL Phillies White 0 (suspended bottom 2)
Box Score
This game was over almost before it started. I mean, they got through about 1 1/2 innings before the rains came. 

Yilber Herrera led off the game with a triple and scored soon after on a sacrifice fly by Denyerbe Gervis.  

Juan Cota started for the Twins. He struck out every single batter he faced in the outing - I mean, all three of them. 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day – Walker Jenkins (FCL Twins) - 2-for-5, BB, 2B(2), HR(1), R, 4 RBI 
Pitcher of the Day – Yon Landaeta (FCL Twins) - 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.  

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Monday.

#2 - Walker Jenkins (FCL Twins) - 2-for-5, BB, 2B(2), HR/GS(1), R, 4 RBI
#5 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-for-0, PR
#6 - Charlee Soto (FCL Twins) - assigned to FCL Twins
#13 - Brandon Winokur (FCL Twins) - 0-for-3, 2 BB, RBI, 2 K
#18 - Jose Salas (FCL Twins ) - 1-for-5, BB, 2 R, 2 K.
#19 - Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 42 pitches, 28 strikes (66.7%)
#20 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL Twins) - 2-for-4, BB, 2B(9), K. 

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES
Louisville @ St. Paul (7:07 PM CST) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (3-5, 5.62 ERA)
Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CST) - TBD 
Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CST) - RHP Zebby Matthews (3-1,4.81 ERA)
Bradenton @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CST) - RHP Jose Olivares (2-3, 5.86 ERA) 
FCL Pirates @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CST) - TBD 
DSL Giants Orange @ DSL Twins (10:00 AM CST) - TBD

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Monday’s games or any other Twins minor league topics! 

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[Doctor Wu]

Thanks for another great report Seth. Like many others, I am VERY excited about Walker Jenkins. Great to see him delivering already. I'm also looking forward to the debut of Charlee Soto. Thanks also for the analysis of Jose Salas. As you noted, we need to be patient with a young player like that. Still hopeful of big things for him too. 

[FlyingFinn]

Great report. Poor Wichita - many of their good players moved to St. Paul and they no longer get mentioned in the article.

[Trov]

Jenkins is super hyped, even more than Lee was last year.  I know he is high school kid, so I wonder how aggressive the FO will be with him.  The FO has shown willingness to move guys quickly.  I wonder if they move him out of the developmental league if he keeps raking there and move to low A by season end.  My guess he starts low A next year with a quick jump to high A if he shows he can hit low A.  I am not expecting him to make a super climb, and not overblowing his three games, but hype on him around the league is high, I just hope everyone is right. I am fully expecting a few on here to call for him to get called up for Gallo soon haha

[gman]

Keep filling the pipeline. Ricardo Oliver is having a good season at Ft Myers. 21 yo catcher/left fielder, He is another player with the ability to draw walks. I am glad that the Twins system has more and more players with good strike zone control. I wonder if that is because of the electronic ball and strike zone vs human umps with poor strike zone judgement.

[strumdatjag]

Jarrett Whorff was promoted.  That means the Twins are one step closer to having a Klingon on the roster.  Instead of Harry Potter and Star Wars Promotions - Star Trek will prevail.   Make it so.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

Walker Jenkins continues with a hot bat.  Winokur continues to show he can hit at an advanced level for a high school kid.  Jenkins should get promoted to A ball, if the Twins want to be aggressive can send straight to high A ball like Texas did with Langford.  That would be extremely aggressive especially with a high school player.  I am waiting to see if a few of the pitchers will get some action.  I am most curious to see are the college kids; Hall, Stoffal, Dougherty, Dunn, Langenberg, Pasqualotto, Lee, Hamilton and Bragg.  I skipped a few but to me these are the most promising of the college picks.  

[DJL44]

Jenkins is a pretty good bet to make it to the Mussels before the season ends.

Keaschall is the same age as Rosario and Rodriguez in Cedar Rapids. He should get bumped up to that level but the Kernels infield is pretty full.

[jishfish]

1 hour ago, IA Bean Counter said:

Jenkins should get promoted to A ball, if the Twins want to be aggressive can send straight to high A ball like Texas did with Langford.  That would be extremely aggressive especially with a high school player.

I don't think there's any chance they would ever skip him over Low-A, but I would love to see him get at least a week or two in Low-A before the year ends. Maybe a call-up for their last 2-3 series of the year?

I know it takes an incredibly special talent to follow the Jackson Holliday path and reach AA by the end of your first full season, but I think Jenkins is as good of candidate as anybody. With that being said, I'm certainly not setting that as the expectation! Feels like that would be only setting ourselves and Walker up for disappointment.

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, FlyingFinn said:

Great report. Poor Wichita - many of their good players moved to St. Paul and they no longer get mentioned in the article.

Seems like Wichita gets to hang on to players way longer than the other levels. Lee, Severino and Keirsey were there longer than they needed to be. Wallner and Williams had to play 2/3rds of the season there last year despite destroying the league and some how Julien never got promoted.

[roger]

The best news for me in your report, Seth, is that Lewis will begin his rehab.  My biggest question, where will he be playing in the field?  Still think he is the Twins third baseman of the future for as long as Correa is at shortstop.

What a fantastic day for young Jenkins.  I keep reading about him and thinking Mickey Mantle.  Well, Mantle joined the Yankees when he was 19.  I know times have changed, so I don't expect to see him at Target Field until he is 20.

Got a good smile when reading about the tribute to Harvey Kuenn III.  Got me wondering.  Was the fantastic player I remember playing at Detroit against my Braves his dad?  Or was it his granddad?  Expect it was his dad, but don't recall him being a junior or II.

[jmlease1]

Great to see Jenkins off to a fast start. I think it's likely that he plays in the FCL this season and starts in low A next season as the Twins development staff works with him to get a good base in place for him. After that I suspect he'll get promoted as aggressively as his performance will allow. (I do think there's a structural advantage for the Twins with their player development to have the complex league and Low-A right in where the Twins have their FL base; it really lets them keep eyes on young players and have a sizeable instructional staff to work with the young players without having to deal with travel.)

[Fatbat]

Everything seems to scream winner when Walker is playing. If anyone player can fast track to MLB in the twins org, its gonna be Walker. I bet he is playing in AAA by next August. The guy is a STUD. 

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

Seems like Wichita gets to hang on to players way longer than the other levels. Lee, Severino and Keirsey were there longer than they needed to be. Wallner and Williams had to play 2/3rds of the season there last year despite destroying the league and some how Julien never got promoted.

There isn't that much difference between AA and AAA. The big jumps are from rookie ball to A, A+ to Double A and then the big leagues. Triple A is mainly there to give veteran retreads a place to play.

[Dman]

Too small a sample size to say too much about Jenkins just yet but if he keeps this up I think getting him acclimated with Kernal's makes some sense.  That way he has less to worry about at the start of next year as he will know how things work there.

He seems to have impressive bat to ball skills. He hadn't even struck out until his last game.  The power is obviously there. IMO he doesn't need to follow the Holliday model.  If he gets to High A next year that will be a good sign in and of itself for a teenager.  I am hoping he is a fast mover as those players tend to be All Star type players but it has only been a few games so hard to say what his development path will be like.  Still I am happy to see him doing well out of the gates it is far better than the alternative.

[jishfish]

11 minutes ago, Dman said:

He seems to have impressive bat to ball skills. He hadn't even struck out until his last game.  The power is obviously there. IMO he doesn't need to follow the Holliday model.  If he gets to High A next year that will be good sign in and of itself for a teenager.  I am hoping he is a fast mover as those players tend to be All Star type players but it has only been a few games so hard to say what his development path will be like.  Still I am happy to see him doing well out of the gates it is far better than the alternative.

I think this is a very well-reasoned take, and roughly where I fall as well. I get worried when I start seeing comments in here about Mickey Mantle comparisons or seeing him in AAA next year (maybe those are sarcastic and I missed the joke). But that's just setting yourself up for disappointment. I would love to see a strong season from Walker split between A and A+ next year. Anything beyond that would just be a bonus.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

1 hour ago, Fatbat said:

Everything seems to scream winner when Walker is playing. If anyone player can fast track to MLB in the twins org, its gonna be Walker. I bet he is playing in AAA by next August. The guy is a STUD. 

If he does that he is a top 10 prospect possibly top 5 :).  I am happy with a top 20 to 25 prospect and in AA by next year.  

[DJL44]

I don't think they like to move recent draft picks out of Fort Myers. They have more resources there for extra training and many of them will be there for fall instructional leagues. 

[2wins87]

1 hour ago, IA Bean Counter said:

If he does that he is a top 10 prospect possibly top 5 :).  I am happy with a top 20 to 25 prospect and in AA by next year.  

If Holliday and Chourio have graduated by then, I think a 19 year old in AAA would almost have to be the #1 prospect in the game.  Keith Law already rated him 25th in his post-draft list.  I expect he will be rated around there by a few other outlets by year end.

Lewis is really the only other comparable player drafted under the current FO, and he played in single A in his draft year but was slowed up a bit by tougher competition by the end of his first full year.  Jenkins is supposed to be an even more advanced bat for a HS pick, and there will be a little less pressure on the glove as an outfielder.

I do think that this front office would be willing to put him on the Holliday path if his performance dictates it.  Realistically I think he gets some single A experience this year, hopefully moves to high A before the All-star break next year and then could have a shot at AA before the end of the year, but still wouldn't be disappointing if he ended in A+.  I do hope he does well enough to at least start in AA in 2025.  That would be a fine path that could still see him debut before his 21st birthday.

Anyway, as excited as I am about a dozen at bats, there's a long way to go.

[jkcarew]

Is it just me, or does Jenkins swing seem ‘handsy’...a lot of weight forward?

Admittedly, I’ve only seen a very few…so. But it seems like there might be (even) more power to unlock there.

[Ghost of Kirby Puckett]

Walker has an absolutely beautiful swing.  Effortless. Ball explodes off his bat. With his makeup and talent, I could easily see him making some big jumps over the next year. If he finished out next year like some people are hoping at AA, that would be incredible,  and also mean that he is destroying the competition. I personally think that finishing at high A would be impressive, and probably most likely of all the scenarios

 

[Beast]

He’s ready.

[Aerodeliria]

I'm impressed that Jenkins hit the homer off a slider/curve ball...and not one of those floaters that just stay in the hitting zone for like five seconds. That pitch had some downward bite and he just tracked it and crushed it.

[LewFordLives]

17 hours ago, jkcarew said:

Is it just me, or does Jenkins swing seem ‘handsy’...a lot of weight forward?

Admittedly, I’ve only seen a very few…so. But it seems like there might be (even) more power to unlock there.

Is it just me, or does his swing remind anyone else of Joe Mauer. Quick hands....waits as long as possible. Mauer never seemed willing to change to unlock the power. That worked ok for him. 

[OptimisticTwinsFan]

18 hours ago, jkcarew said:

Is it just me, or does Jenkins swing seem ‘handsy’...a lot of weight forward?

Admittedly, I’ve only seen a very few…so. But it seems like there might be (even) more power to unlock there.

I'm not sure if that's my exact observation, but I do agree with the conclusion that there's a low more power that could be unlocked which is insane. That being said, if he can generate that much power with such a short / quick to the ball swing do you want to change it much? I think that swing is conducive to putting lots of balls in play and a higher average. I think what I would like to see is him develop the ability to use different swings depending on the situation. 

[Fatbat]

@jishfish I’m the overly optimistic guy that sees a way that AAA could happen next year with Walker, he has 2 months to fine tune some development in Florida this year and lets say he starts out in Low A next April/May, he may be so far advanced that it would be a waste to keep him there so he goes right to Iowa by June. Lets just suppose he rakes so well there for 60 days that the organization says to him. We are promoting you to AAA just to show you that pro ball isn’t this easy. Prove us wrong.  Doubtful path but anything is possible. 19.5 yrs old playing for the Saints. 

[Fatbat]

On 8/8/2023 at 12:15 PM, IA Bean Counter said:

If he does that he is a top 10 prospect possibly top 5 :).  I am happy with a top 20 to 25 prospect and in AA by next year.  

Welp, Jenkins just showed up as the #16 prospect in MLB. Lee #18. If Jenkins is for real, he will probably be on the varsity in 2025.