Twins Prospect Hot Sheet, July 7, 2025: It’s Walker Jenkins’s World

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Walker Jenkins)

Welcome to this week’s Twins Prospect Hot Sheet. As the Minnesota Twins navigate the heart of the 2025 season, their farm system continues to provide encouraging developments from a wide range of talented players. From hard-throwing arms in the Florida heat to versatile infielders in Triple A and top prospects climbing toward the majors, the organization is seeing growth at every level. Adrian Bohorquez, Payton Eeles, and Walker Jenkins each offer a unique path to the big leagues, and all three are trending upward as the summer heats up.

RHP Adrian Bohorquez – Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
The Twins signed Bohorquez out of Venezuela in 2023, and while he didn’t arrive with the same hype as some of the top international names in his class, he quickly earned attention for his electric arm. Last season, he came Stateside and split time between the FCL Twins and Fort Myers. In 53 innings, he posted a 3.23 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, a 12.3% walk rate, and a 28.3% strikeout rate. His control was still developing, but the raw stuff stood out as some of the best on the Mighty Mussels' staff.

Hitting the Hot Button
On Monday, Bohorquez was named Florida State League Pitcher of the Week, following a dominant long-relief outing on July 2 against Bradenton. Coming out of the bullpen, Bohorquez retired the first 13 batters he faced and finished with five shutout innings, allowing just one baserunner via hit-by-pitch. He struck out five and topped out at 97.7 mph, while throwing 39 of his 54 pitches for strikes. The performance set a new season high in innings and underscored his growing stamina and confidence on the mound. Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 27 prospect in the Twins system, Bohorquez is now firmly on the radar as a fast-rising prospect. With continued improvements in his secondary offerings and command, he could earn a mid-season promotion and become a key arm in the system’s long-term pitching pipeline.

UTL Payton Eeles – St. Paul Saints
Eeles was signed by the Twins in 2024 out of the independent leagues and quickly made his mark on the organization. In 2024, Eeles moved from Low-A Fort Myers to Triple-A St. Paul. He batted .306 (with a .932 OPS), while playing all over the diamond. His profile as a scrappy, left-handed hitter with elite bat-to-ball skills and strong plate discipline made him a favorite among coaches and evaluators. Twins Daily recently updated its top-20 prospects, and Eeles snuck in at No. 20 as he worked his way up with consistent production and defensive flexibility.

Hitting the Hot Button
Back in St. Paul, Eeles started the year on the IL, but has continued to be a do-it-all spark plug. Over his last 15 games, he is slashing .333/.383/.389 with three doubles and seven runs scored. Additionally, he has already played at four different positions for the Saints, including second base, center field, left field, and shortstop. While Eeles may not have a clear defensive home, his left-handed bat, high contact rate, and defensive utility give him a strong chance to debut in Minnesota before the year is out—particularly if injuries or roster shuffling create an opening. He's the kind of player every organization needs stashed in the upper minors to add depth and experience. 

OF Walker Jenkins – Wichita Wind Surge
When the Twins selected Jenkins with the fifth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, they knew they were getting a potential franchise player. A prep outfielder from North Carolina, Jenkins arrived with a highly advanced offensive skill set for a high-school bat. He impressed in his professional debut and followed it up with a strong 2024 campaign, as he progressed from Low A to Double A before turning 20. He hit .282/.394/.439 with 32 extra-base hits and 17 stolen bases in 82 games. His combination of power, plate discipline, and athleticism quickly vaulted him near the top of league-wide prospect rankings, and he entered 2025 as the undisputed No. 1 prospect in the Twins' system.

Hitting the Hot Button
For the second consecutive season, Jenkins missed time in the season’s first half with an injury. He returned to Wichita on June 18, and his bat has started to warm up. In a league where many top prospects hit speed bumps, Jenkins has thrived, batting .305 with five extra-base hits and a .918 OPS over his first 16 games. His approach at the plate remains beyond his years, with more walks (16) than strikeouts (14). He’s also been a threat on the bases, going a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts. The Twins have been patient with his development, but Jenkins’s performance may force the issue. If he keeps up this pace, a late-season look in St. Paul is very possible, and he could be ready to impact the Twins outfield as soon as 2026. He continues to look every bit the future All-Star Minnesota envisioned on draft day.

The Twins’ farm system continues to demonstrate strength from top to bottom. Bohorquez is showcasing electric stuff in Fort Myers, putting himself on the map as a big-league pitching option. Eeles is proving that versatility, patience, and contact still have a place in modern baseball, and his Triple-A performance has him knocking on the big-league door. Meanwhile, Jenkins continues to show why he’s one of the best prospects in baseball, handling every challenge thrown his way and looking like he could be in the conversation as baseball’s top prospect entering next season. 

Keep watching, because these aren’t just names on a depth chart. They’re building blocks for Minnesota’s future.

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Which performance stands out the most in recent weeks? Will Jenkins make it to St. Paul before the season ends? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

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[SF Twins Fan]

If Jenkins is still hitting like this by the beginning of August he should be promoted.  No reason to keep him in AA.  

[DJL44]

Eeles does have a pretty clear defensive home - 2B. He's going to need more offense to earn a starting position at 2B in the majors. I don't think he is likely to debut this season because the Twins will not want to protect him on the 40-man roster this offseason. 

[David HK]

I'm still perplexed by Jonah Bride instead of Payton Eeles.  I know he and Austin were both on the shelf for a while early on, but come on.  Why go outside for flotsam when we could be getting development from within?

[Mike Sixel]

57 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Eeles does have a pretty clear defensive home - 2B. He's going to need more offense to earn a starting position at 2B in the majors. I don't think he is likely to debut this season because the Twins will not want to protect him on the 40-man roster this offseason. 

He's way too old to worry about years of control. Now, they might not want to bump others.... But I can't imagine holding him back to worry about controlling him to age 33....

[Dman]

21 minutes ago, David HK said:

I'm still perplexed by Jonah Bride instead of Payton Eeles.  I know he and Austin were both on the shelf for a while early on, but come on.  Why go outside for flotsam when we could be getting development from within?

For one he hasn't performed as well as he did last year. The Twins have to be mindful of the 40 man.  They have Lee at second right now and Jullien is still on the 40 man and Keaschal does play second as well so they already have three guys on the 40 man that can play at that spot.  Then you have Culpepper that could be ready as early as next year so even with Castro Likely moving on and Gasper expendable you would want to be careful not to have to expose anyone to waivers.

Also I think they would want him hitting for more power before adding him.  I think they need more time to make sure he can even handle the AAA level for a longer period of time as all his numbers last year were in a SSS.  He also might need more time in Left field as I don't think he has played there a ton.

He is a player we all love because he is such a spark plug, but he needs a bit more time before I would be ready to bring him up.  Once on the 40 man you want them to be productive enough to stay on.  They'll likely wait until they are more certain he is ready for the next level.

[Dman]

I have been saying it for a while but I still think Bohorquez can hang with Soto and Hill.  He has good stuff just needs to find the strike zone more and or at least when he really needs it.  After an awful start it is nice to see him dominate like I know he can.  Hopefully he takes off from here.

[Paul Walerius]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Eeles does have a pretty clear defensive home - 2B. He's going to need more offense to earn a starting position at 2B in the majors. I don't think he is likely to debut this season because the Twins will not want to protect him on the 40-man roster this offseason. 

A Castro trade makes it very possible.  

[twinstalker]

6 hours ago, SF Twins Fan said:

If Jenkins is still hitting like this by the beginning of August he should be promoted.  No reason to keep him in AA.  

The key, sorry, is the decrease in strikeout rate.  If we want to talk about how well he hits, then we need to talk about his current lack of HR power.  He should be developing that before he goes any further.  Most important, though, is reducing both his strikeout and walk rate.  They're both at 19% in AA.  The K rate is very good for his age/level, but when it's closer to 15%, then we know he's truly conquered the level.

The walk rate is a problem, probably.  Again, it's not going to translate as such to MLB.  He can have a high walk rate in MLB but it has nothing to do with his AA rate, other than he can maybe distinguish some balls from strikes.  The way he'll have a high walk rate in MLB, besides a decent eye, is to absolutely mash in the zone.  That's not what's happening in AA currently.  To wit, he's batting .284 with a .418 slug.  There is nothing really impressive about that, other than he's doing it at a young age.

He needs to get better.  He's had all of 84 PAs at AA at age 20, so it's super impressive he can hold his own at that age, but he needs to change his best to be promoted.  He has to start crushing.  If his next month is 30 games at .330 with close to a .500 slug and 14% K-rate, then he's ready.  If he does what he's been doing for another month, then he's not.

The chicken/egg on the improvement will be K-rate/crush.  We know enough to know Jenkins can take a walk.  We don't need to look at that again for any reason ever until computing his OBP in MLB.  Or if it's way too high at AA/AAA, which is absolutely an indication of passivity and therefore problems.

[mikelink45]

So much discussion about HR power, but this team needs men on base, they need hits and HR is not the only way to score.  I like him and would see him as Castro's replacement if we lose Castro.  And I really do not want to lose Castro.  

[DJL44]

7 hours ago, David HK said:

I'm still perplexed by Jonah Bride instead of Payton Eeles.  I know he and Austin were both on the shelf for a while early on, but come on.  Why go outside for flotsam when we could be getting development from within?

Eeles was injured and unavailable when they added Jonah Bride.

[Doctor Wu]

Another informative report, thank you! I didn't know much about Bohorquez, but it sounds like he has an arm that will be very useful to the Twins. Reading Dman's post where he ranks him in the same company as Soto and Hill makes him sound even more intriguing. Great to see prospects like him making some strides.

[Major League Ready]

6 hours ago, Paul Walerius said:

A Castro trade makes it very possible.  

Lee would still be the primary 2B.  Then, they have Keaschall coming back.  Clemens can also play 2B..  If two or three of them were out, and the twins needed someone from STP, they would probably prefer to bring back Julien or Martin.  Eeles will have to get smoking hot before he jumps to front of the line for 2B.

[DJL44]

6 hours ago, Paul Walerius said:

A Castro trade makes it very possible.  

I think there are a lot of people in line before Eeles: Keaschall, Martin, Julien for sure, probably Gasper again. Schobel is Rule 5 eligible in December so he may have priority to get a roster spot. They may want to reward Will Holland or Anthony Prato with a callup.

Eeles has been pretty mediocre at AAA this season - .260/.344/.288 slash. He's not a major league caliber SS or CF. There's nothing there that suggests he's forcing people to notice him for a promotion.

[Wedman13]

8 hours ago, David HK said:

I'm still perplexed by Jonah Bride instead of Payton Eeles.  I know he and Austin were both on the shelf for a while early on, but come on.  Why go outside for flotsam when we could be getting development from within?

It a great article and what makes the site awesome.  But what I'm perplexed by is folks thinking we have a great farm system but a 5'5 guy (not his fault) who played 1 year of D1 baseball, signed out of the independent leagues and has an OPS at AAA of .630 with zero power  makes his way onto a prospect hot sheet.  I love the movie Rudy as much as anyone, but this should not be a top prospect.

And I agree with the poster below that said no need to rush Jenkins.  Let him develop a bit more power at AA before pushing him up.  Excited for his future for sure.

[Trov]

9 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

He's way too old to worry about years of control. Now, they might not want to bump others.... But I can't imagine holding him back to worry about controlling him to age 33....

It is not about controlling him it is about the fact they do not need to add him yet.  Once you add him then you need to keep him or lose him if you remove him, but if you wait until next year then you can put someone else on 40 man to protect from rule 5.  Not sure what decisions need to be made on that right now, sure FO does.  I am a fan of the kid and hope he can make it to majors and contribute, but I would get if they waited until next year to add him to 40 man. 

That is why I do not get all the fans that want every possible prospect called up asap, "to see what they can do" because if they cannot do it right away then you have a wasted 40 man roster spot if you did not need to use it. Then they get exposed to waivers.  If they are truly a top prospect they get claimed at minimum by a team like the A's who can afford to stash them on 40 man while they lose. 

[Trov]

It is great to see Jenkins healthy and doing his thing.  I could see him break camp next year if healthy and the team is pushing for that extra draft pick, but more likely they will hold him back to keep that extra year of control.  His combo of speed and plate discipline will be huge.  The big question will be how does he handle left handed pitchers.  His first year in minors he did just fine in SSS.  Second year was not so good, still only 61 PA, but hist OBP and Slugging was much lower than against righties.  Still he looks like he will be taking over CF for Buck in the future, but with way Buck is playing not sure when that will be.   

[chpettit19]

5 hours ago, twinstalker said:

The key, sorry, is the decrease in strikeout rate.  If we want to talk about how well he hits, then we need to talk about his current lack of HR power.  He should be developing that before he goes any further.  Most important, though, is reducing both his strikeout and walk rate.  They're both at 19% in AA.  The K rate is very good for his age/level, but when it's closer to 15%, then we know he's truly conquered the level.

The walk rate is a problem, probably.  Again, it's not going to translate as such to MLB.  He can have a high walk rate in MLB but it has nothing to do with his AA rate, other than he can maybe distinguish some balls from strikes.  The way he'll have a high walk rate in MLB, besides a decent eye, is to absolutely mash in the zone.  That's not what's happening in AA currently.  To wit, he's batting .284 with a .418 slug.  There is nothing really impressive about that, other than he's doing it at a young age.

He needs to get better.  He's had all of 84 PAs at AA at age 20, so it's super impressive he can hold his own at that age, but he needs to change his best to be promoted.  He has to start crushing.  If his next month is 30 games at .330 with close to a .500 slug and 14% K-rate, then he's ready.  If he does what he's been doing for another month, then he's not.

The chicken/egg on the improvement will be K-rate/crush.  We know enough to know Jenkins can take a walk.  We don't need to look at that again for any reason ever until computing his OBP in MLB.  Or if it's way too high at AA/AAA, which is absolutely an indication of passivity and therefore problems.

Roman Anthony is 21 with a 109 OPS+ early in his MLB career- 25.5% K rate in AA as a 20-year-old, 19% K and BB% in AAA at 20 years old, 19% BB rate, 21% K rate in AAA as 21-year-old

Jackson Chourio had a 119 OPS+ as a 20-year-old in the majors- 18.4% K rate in AA

Marcelo Mayer struggling a little out of the gates in the majors but had a 25.8% K rate in AA at 20 and 19.7% at 21. 

Lots of people wanting Dalton Rushing around here- 20.7% K rate at AA at 23 years old.

Augustin Ramirez- 19.4% K rate at AA at 21 years old. 

Jenkins is a little extra patient, but not passive. He's not Emmanuel Rodriguez. Emma had a 31.7% swing rate at AA. Jenkins is at 44% this year, 49% last year. But he doesn't swing at crap. He has a 14% called strike percentage so it's not like he's taking a ton of strikes. 

For comparison here's the called strike percentages for AA from the guys above:
Ramirez: 13%
Rushing: 13%
Mayer: 12%
Chourio: 15%
Anthony: 20%

Here's their swing percentages:
Ramirez: 49%
Rushing: 46%
Mayer: 50%
Chourio: 49%
Anthony: 39%

Roman Anthony was much more patient or passive than Jenkins and struck out even more in AA as a 20-year-old. Had 19% K and BB rates in AAA as both a 20- and 21-year-old and is still mashing in the majors at the age of 21. He was slugging much better, that part is true. Although, getting some batted ball data on Jenkins could also help tell a better story there. And it's such a small sample size that 1 extra home run jumps his slugging to an acceptable spot. If he keeps doing what he's doing and adds 1 HR in every 67 ABs to the numbers he's currently putting up he's doing what the rest of the top prospects in baseball are doing at AA.

There's so much more to determining if a guy is ready than just looking at their K and BB rates. Especially in such a small sample size. He doesn't need to hit .330 with a .500 slug and 14% K rate for a month to say he's conquered AA. He can keep doing what he's doing with 1 extra home run or a couple extra doubles and be just fine.

[jmlease1]

2 hours ago, Wedman13 said:

It a great article and what makes the site awesome.  But what I'm perplexed by is folks thinking we have a great farm system but a 5'5 guy (not his fault) who played 1 year of D1 baseball, signed out of the independent leagues and has an OPS at AAA of .630 with zero power  makes his way onto a prospect hot sheet.  I love the movie Rudy as much as anyone, but this should not be a top prospect.

And I agree with the poster below that said no need to rush Jenkins.  Let him develop a bit more power at AA before pushing him up.  Excited for his future for sure.

Eeles is on the prospect hot sheet because people love his story and were constantly asking about him while he was out. He's a fun story, and if some of the power production he showed last season and in his rehab assignments comes back at AAA then he's a legit option to become a utility guy in MLB. I'm guessing that a lot of what we're seeing with the power outage in AAA this season is a result of the recovery from surgery (his good SLG in the rehab assignments is more about small sample size) not really being complete yet, but it could also be that pitchers have figured him out. We'll see where he is in a month or so. AAA is the right place for him, and as noted: Bride arrived because Keaschall, Lewis, Martin, Miranda were all hurt at the same time...and Eeles was still recovering from surgery. Do I think we held onto Bride too long? Yep, but Eeles was never an option to keeping Bride off the roster.

All I really want for Walker Jenkins is good health for the rest of the season. I have nothing but confidence that his talent will play up if he's healthy. He sure looks healthy right now, and while I would be happy to see more power start showing, I'm loving that strikeout to walk ratio. His control of the strike zone at this age is really impressive, and it's a skill that will serve him well as the power develops.

Bohorquez is an interesting prospect. We'll see if he can consistently find the plate for a while, because the stuff is certainly impressive. But he's been very wild, so I'm going to need to see more starts like this where he finds the zone and dominates the opposition. But not bad for age 20.

[Mike Sixel]

3 hours ago, Wedman13 said:

It a great article and what makes the site awesome.  But what I'm perplexed by is folks thinking we have a great farm system but a 5'5 guy (not his fault) who played 1 year of D1 baseball, signed out of the independent leagues and has an OPS at AAA of .630 with zero power  makes his way onto a prospect hot sheet.  I love the movie Rudy as much as anyone, but this should not be a top prospect.

And I agree with the poster below that said no need to rush Jenkins.  Let him develop a bit more power at AA before pushing him up.  Excited for his future for sure.

It's a hot sheet. Not a list of top prospects. 

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, Trov said:

It is not about controlling him it is about the fact they do not need to add him yet.  Once you add him then you need to keep him or lose him if you remove him, but if you wait until next year then you can put someone else on 40 man to protect from rule 5.  Not sure what decisions need to be made on that right now, sure FO does.  I am a fan of the kid and hope he can make it to majors and contribute, but I would get if they waited until next year to add him to 40 man. 

That is why I do not get all the fans that want every possible prospect called up asap, "to see what they can do" because if they cannot do it right away then you have a wasted 40 man roster spot if you did not need to use it. Then they get exposed to waivers.  If they are truly a top prospect they get claimed at minimum by a team like the A's who can afford to stash them on 40 man while they lose. 

Which is basically what I said in my second sentence. It's not just about him. On the other hand, they h have plenty of chaffe.

Also, I've never understood why people want to watch bad veterans with no upside, rather than take a chance on rookies. 

[rdehring]

Have never seen Eeles pay, but was wondering how similar he is to Arraez?  I know he is a bit shorter, but am guessing he is faster.  True or not?  He plays more defensive positions.  Is he better at any of them than Arraez was at second base?  Doubt he will hit in the mid-.300's, but love what I continue hearing about him.

Knew little about Bohorquez before reading this today.  Your report, Cody, has me excited about this young man.  What may be most exciting is if the Twins were to finally get a good young pitcher who they actually signed from one of the Latin countries.  Can't remember who the last one was?

As for Jenkins.  Will agree with those above who are hoping for good health for the rest of the season.  If he has that, I expect we all will be more than pleased with the results.

 

[Dman]

22 minutes ago, rdehring said:

Have never seen Eeles pay, but was wondering how similar he is to Arraez?  I know he is a bit shorter, but am guessing he is faster.  True or not?  He plays more defensive positions.  Is he better at any of them than Arraez was at second base?  Doubt he will hit in the mid-.300's, but love what I continue hearing about him.

Knew little about Bohorquez before reading this today.  Your report, Cody, has me excited about this young man.  What may be most exciting is if the Twins were to finally get a good young pitcher who they actually signed from one of the Latin countries.  Can't remember who the last one was?

As for Jenkins.  Will agree with those above who are hoping for good health for the rest of the season.  If he has that, I expect we all will be more than pleased with the results.

 

Here is a You tube highlight video. for Eeles.  It shows him him at all three levels and that he does have power and speed to steal bases.  He also made a nice play at short, but isn't considered a plus defender there.  He could be Castro like versatile, but has to make sure he can hit and hit for power to move past other players that are higher rated prospects.

He doesn't need to be added to the 40 man for three more years so there is no pressure to add him unless he proves worthy of a spot on the MLB team.  He'll have to really stand out to do that, but he has a lot of believers after last year myself included. 

[Wedman13]

57 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

It's a hot sheet. Not a list of top prospects. 

It said he was #20 prospect 

[Linus]

Not worried about power numbers right now for Jenkins. I like that he is more of an all around hitter and not just power oriented. I have no doubt the power will come with more experience and without making changes to his nice swing. 

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

Also, I've never understood why people want to watch bad veterans with no upside, rather than take a chance on rookies. 

I wouldn't say I want to watch bad veterans, but I also don't want to watch bad rookies. I don't see a reason to burn service time on a real prospect if he isn't ready yet. That just means some other team gets his productive years when he signs somewhere else as a free agent.

[DJL44]

54 minutes ago, Dman said:

Here is a You tube highlight video. for Eeles.  It shows him him at all three levels and that he does have power and speed to steal bases.  He also made a nice play at short, but isn't considered a plus defender there.

He has speed and range in the infield, can field a hard-hit ground ball and turn the double play. He has a weak arm compared to MLB SS and CF and compares more favorably to 2B/LF.

[Steve Lein]

13 hours ago, Dman said:

Also I think they would want him hitting for more power before adding him.  I think they need more time to make sure he can even handle the AAA level for a longer period of time as all his numbers last year were in a SSS.  He also might need more time in Left field as I don't think he has played there a ton.

64 games at AAA in 2024 is not a small sample size. 

[Dman]

2 hours ago, Steve Lein said:

64 games at AAA in 2024 is not a small sample size. 

But we've seen several players come back to earth after a couple of hot months. So you're convinced absolutely no doubt he is a .300 average 900 OPS no matter what right now? if not then the sample is still too small IMO.

[Mike Sixel]

14 minutes ago, Dman said:

But we've seen several players come back to earth after a couple of hot months. So you're convinced absolutely no doubt he is a .300 average 900 OPS no matter what right now?

No, but I'm not convinced about most any prospect, and even many MLB players. I guess we disagree on taking chances on upside, rather than settling for bad veterans.