Twins Prospect Hot Sheet: Walker Jenkins and Khadim Diaw Shine

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

As the calendar turns to May, minor league players are starting to find a rhythm. Early-season noise starts to fade, and what remains is a clearer picture of who is making real adjustments and turning tools into production. This is often the point at which prospects either stabilize or begin to separate themselves.

For several of the Twins’ top prospects, that separation is already taking shape. Strong underlying approaches are now translating into box score results, and a handful of names are forcing their way into bigger conversations within the organization. Whether it's former top picks showing why they were so highly regarded or emerging talents finding another gear, the system is beginning to generate some real momentum.

OF Walker Jenkins– St. Paul Saints
How He Got Here: Since being selected fifth overall in the 2023 draft, Jenkins has looked every bit like the advanced bat scouts envisioned out of high school. His climb to Triple-A before his 21st birthday speaks to both his polish and upside. When he has been available, the production has followed, highlighted by a career OPS north of .850 and strong underlying metrics against upper-level pitching. The challenge has been staying on the field. Various lower-body injuries have limited his total games played, slowing what could have been an even faster rise. Even so, he still managed to be one of the most productive hitters in the system last year.

Hitting the Hot Button: Jenkins was locked in at the plate over the past week. Entering play on Sunday, Jenkins had gone 7-for-16 (.438) with four doubles and a home run over his last seven days. He drew four walks to help him get on base nearly 53% of the time and posted a 1.401 OPS. On Friday, he tied the Saints franchise record with three doubles in one game. The momentum hit an unfortunate pause, though, when he exited Sunday’s game after colliding with the outfield fence. He has a Grade 2 sprain of the AC joint in his shoulder and is likely to miss several weeks.

C Khadim Diaw– Cedar Rapids Kernels
How He Got Here: Diaw’s track record is as much about perseverance as it is about performance. When healthy, he has consistently hit, dating back to his college days, where he showed a strong combination of contact ability and on-base skills. Injuries have interrupted that trajectory at multiple points, but each return has brought more of the same offensive profile. After impressing in summer leagues and pre-draft workouts, the Twins invested a 2024 third-round pick in his bat. His first full professional season has followed a familiar pattern with flashes of production mixed with missed time, but the underlying approach continues to stand out.

Hitting the Hot Button: Few hitters in the system have been tougher to retire recently than Diaw. He strung together a remarkable stretch of plate appearances where he reached base a dozen times in a row, combining consistent contact with a disciplined eye. A standout midweek performance saw him reach base five times in a single game.

For the season, he is slashing .279/.426/.349, with four extra-base hits and a 26-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio, even while facing older pitchers in 65% of his plate appearances. The blend of patience and contact is turning heads.

OF/1B Jaime Ferrer– Cedar Rapids Kernels
How He Got Here: Ferrer entered pro ball with a solid offensive foundation after being selected in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Florida State. His debut offered glimpses of that potential as he posted a .748 OPS in 24 games. However, his first extended run at High-A exposed areas that needed refinement. In 101 games, he hit .216/.296/.339 (.634) with 27 extra-base hits and 84 strikeouts compared to 23 walks. The Twins challenged him by sending him back to the same level to start 2026.

Hitting the Hot Button: That decision is already paying dividends, with adjustments to his approach and swing decisions that have helped unlock a more complete offensive profile. Ferrer has been one of the most productive hitters in the Midwest League to start the season. A breakout game on Saturday featuring two home runs (in the same inning) highlighted his growing power, but the broader story is his improved plate discipline and overall offensive balance.

In 25 games this season, he is hitting .319/.449/.611, with six home runs and three doubles. His ability to produce against older pitching (1.160 OPS) only adds to the intrigue, suggesting real growth rather than a small sample spike.

The common thread with this group is impact through adversity. Each player has dealt with interruptions or developmental hurdles, yet all three are showing the ability to adjust and produce when given the opportunity. That combination of resilience and performance is exactly what organizations hope to see from players pushing toward the next level. Of course, what happened to Jenkins is exactly what everyone hopes not to see.

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What stands out about this trio of prospects? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[bean5302]

Love this line "...even while facing older..." It's the ultimate catch phrase which actually has little to no value. I would certainly hope any prospect worth talking about was playing against MiLB roster filler older than the prospect. Otherwise, they're not a prospect. 

Bummer to see Jenkins on the IL again. He's been walking more than striking out at AAA, and the bat heating up was relief to see. He's definitely made of glass, though.

Kadim Diaw is the same age as the average hitter in the league. It's nice to see him have a warm up after an ice cold start, but he's an extreme longshot to make MLB. He doesn't have the bat to play outfield and he doesn't have the glove to be a catcher.

Ricardo Olivar is .360/.458/.860 OPS 1.318 over his past 14 games in Wichita. Similarly challenged as Diaw behind the plate, but hitting well enough to see him make his way up the ladder. Cardenas needs to produce and get in some good contact. He's looking like Matt Wallner at the plate, only Cardenas is doing it in the minors. Olivar should probably supplant somebody in St. Paul soon.

It's rough that there are so few bright spots in the MiLB system right now for Minnesota, but Miguel Briceno has quietly worked his way into an ever day player position this spring. Acquired as a rule 5 MiLB pick from the Brewers in the 2024 offseason, the Venezuelan doesn't have a lot of impressive history, but he's showing up to the tune of a .300/.391/.600 OPS .991 batting line since becoming a regular on 4/23.

2024 4th rounder, Jamie Ferrier, has belted 5 home runs over his past 15 games as well, helping him to a .319/.429/.702 OPS 1.131 stat line. The walks and power are way up compared to his previous seasons. I'd imagine he's on the short list to move up to AA. 

[Bangkok Twins Fan]

11 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Love this line "...even while facing older..." It's the ultimate catch phrase which actually has little to no value. I would certainly hope any prospect worth talking about was playing against MiLB roster filler older than the prospect. Otherwise, they're not a prospect. 

Gotta agree with that take. Citing the age factor has always baffled me. 

[jemihami]

26 minutes ago, Bangkok Twins Fan said:

Gotta agree with that take. Citing the age factor has always baffled me. 

Talent vs. age, Talent always wins.

[Jeff K]

11 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Love this line "...even while facing older..." It's the ultimate catch phrase which actually has little to no value. I would certainly hope any prospect worth talking about was playing against MiLB roster filler older than the prospect. Otherwise, they're not a prospect. 

Bummer to see Jenkins on the IL again. He's been walking more than striking out at AAA, and the bat heating up was relief to see. He's definitely made of glass, though.

Kadim Diaw is the same age as the average hitter in the league. It's nice to see him have a warm up after an ice cold start, but he's an extreme longshot to make MLB. He doesn't have the bat to play outfield and he doesn't have the glove to be a catcher.

Ricardo Olivar is .360/.458/.860 OPS 1.318 over his past 14 games in Wichita. Similarly challenged as Diaw behind the plate, but hitting well enough to see him make his way up the ladder. Cardenas needs to produce and get in some good contact. He's looking like Matt Wallner at the plate, only Cardenas is doing it in the minors. Olivar should probably supplant somebody in St. Paul soon.

It's rough that there are so few bright spots in the MiLB system right now for Minnesota, but Miguel Briceno has quietly worked his way into an ever day player position this spring. Acquired as a rule 5 MiLB pick from the Brewers in the 2024 offseason, the Venezuelan doesn't have a lot of impressive history, but he's showing up to the tune of a .300/.391/.600 OPS .991 batting line since becoming a regular on 4/23.

2024 4th rounder, Jamie Ferrier, has belted 5 home runs over his past 15 games as well, helping him to a .319/.429/.702 OPS 1.131 stat line. The walks and power are way up compared to his previous seasons. I'd imagine he's on the short list to move up to AA. 

While Jenkins has had more than his share of injuries, his most recent injury does not conjure images like "made of glass".  He smashed into the wall.

[Dman]

12 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Love this line "...even while facing older..." It's the ultimate catch phrase which actually has little to no value. I would certainly hope any prospect worth talking about was playing against MiLB roster filler older than the prospect. Otherwise, they're not a prospect. 

Bummer to see Jenkins on the IL again. He's been walking more than striking out at AAA, and the bat heating up was relief to see. He's definitely made of glass, though.

Kadim Diaw is the same age as the average hitter in the league. It's nice to see him have a warm up after an ice cold start, but he's an extreme longshot to make MLB. He doesn't have the bat to play outfield and he doesn't have the glove to be a catcher.

Ricardo Olivar is .360/.458/.860 OPS 1.318 over his past 14 games in Wichita. Similarly challenged as Diaw behind the plate, but hitting well enough to see him make his way up the ladder. Cardenas needs to produce and get in some good contact. He's looking like Matt Wallner at the plate, only Cardenas is doing it in the minors. Olivar should probably supplant somebody in St. Paul soon.

It's rough that there are so few bright spots in the MiLB system right now for Minnesota, but Miguel Briceno has quietly worked his way into an ever day player position this spring. Acquired as a rule 5 MiLB pick from the Brewers in the 2024 offseason, the Venezuelan doesn't have a lot of impressive history, but he's showing up to the tune of a .300/.391/.600 OPS .991 batting line since becoming a regular on 4/23.

2024 4th rounder, Jamie Ferrier, has belted 5 home runs over his past 15 games as well, helping him to a .319/.429/.702 OPS 1.131 stat line. The walks and power are way up compared to his previous seasons. I'd imagine he's on the short list to move up to AA. 

I tend to agree with most of this.  I have my concerns about Jenkins ability to stay healthy.  While the wall might be a freak thing the hamstrings and ankles seem to be fairly chronic.

I hope Diaw can stay at catcher.  I don't see much home run power there or exceptional speed to make up for a lack of power and he gets injured a fair bit as well.  I still believe in his bat, but his defense needs work.

Olivar is underrated because he likely is a 1st base DH bat IMO.  I know they play him in the outfield there, but who are they kidding? He's a guy that needs to be more stationary to not be a liability in the field.  Olivar just seems like an .800 OPS bat no matter what level he is at.  His bat has always been his carrying tool.  If there were room I'd like to see them move him up to AAA.  He and Sabato are similar players although Olivar is two years younger with a better K rate.  I'd like to see who wins that first base spot between him and Mendez.  Need them both at AAA to see how close to ready they might be.

I know very little about Briceno other than his nice stat line. I am guessing they will let him cook a little longer at high A but that is very encouraging for a 22 year old.

Ferrier has been dynamite to start the year.  If had played better last year he would already be at AA I think they should move him there sooner rather than later given the results so far.

[terrydactyls]

12 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Love this line "...even while facing older..." It's the ultimate catch phrase which actually has little to no value. I would certainly hope any prospect worth talking about was playing against MiLB roster filler older than the prospect. Otherwise, they're not a prospect. 

Bummer to see Jenkins on the IL again. He's been walking more than striking out at AAA, and the bat heating up was relief to see. He's definitely made of glass, though.

Kadim Diaw is the same age as the average hitter in the league. It's nice to see him have a warm up after an ice cold start, but he's an extreme longshot to make MLB. He doesn't have the bat to play outfield and he doesn't have the glove to be a catcher.

Ricardo Olivar is .360/.458/.860 OPS 1.318 over his past 14 games in Wichita. Similarly challenged as Diaw behind the plate, but hitting well enough to see him make his way up the ladder. Cardenas needs to produce and get in some good contact. He's looking like Matt Wallner at the plate, only Cardenas is doing it in the minors. Olivar should probably supplant somebody in St. Paul soon.

It's rough that there are so few bright spots in the MiLB system right now for Minnesota, but Miguel Briceno has quietly worked his way into an ever day player position this spring. Acquired as a rule 5 MiLB pick from the Brewers in the 2024 offseason, the Venezuelan doesn't have a lot of impressive history, but he's showing up to the tune of a .300/.391/.600 OPS .991 batting line since becoming a regular on 4/23.

2024 4th rounder, Jamie Ferrier, has belted 5 home runs over his past 15 games as well, helping him to a .319/.429/.702 OPS 1.131 stat line. The walks and power are way up compared to his previous seasons. I'd imagine he's on the short list to move up to AA. 

I'm not sure what you meant when you said Oliver looks like Wallner at the plate.  Wallner is hitting (?) .175 with an OPS of .565.  In what way is that similar to Oliver?

[WarPath1211]

12 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Kadim Diaw is the same age as the average hitter in the league. It's nice to see him have a warm up after an ice cold start, but he's an extreme longshot to make MLB. He doesn't have the bat to play outfield and he doesn't have the glove to be a catcher.

I don't think Diaw is being developed with the intent he's an everyday player either in the OF or at C. Diaw's path to the big leagues in my mind is as a very rare type of utility player, a guy who can serve as a backup catcher but also as a backup outfielder, unlocking other possibilities for the rest of the roster. For him to develop in this way, he really just needs reps both at the plate and on defense, and to do that he needs to be healthy, which was an issue in 2025.

So far this season he has 10 starts at catcher, 10 in the outfield, and 5 at DH. His development timeline may be pretty unusual because he is a very unusual prospect. He needs to be 40-manned in December 2027 to avoid the Rule 5 draft, so he has 2 years to try to reach AAA (or find enough success at AA) to have a real shot with the Twins.

[bean5302]

2 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

I'm not sure what you meant when you said Oliver looks like Wallner at the plate.  Wallner is hitting (?) .175 with an OPS of .565.  In what way is that similar to Oliver?

I didn't say that. I said "Cardenas" is looking like Wallner. Olivar might be taking Cardenas' place in AAA? Hopefully, maybe? Though Cardenas is considered a good defensive guy as I recall where Olivar is not.

[bean5302]

3 hours ago, Jeff K said:

While Jenkins has had more than his share of injuries, his most recent injury does not conjure images like "made of glass".  He smashed into the wall.

He's made of glass. This isn't a comment about being injured one time when he ran into a wall. It's from the constant trips to the IL. There's always a reason he's on the IL.

[Road trip]

3 hours ago, Jeff K said:

While Jenkins has had more than his share of injuries, his most recent injury does not conjure images like "made of glass".  He smashed into the wall.

I get this, and I'm sympathetic, but I kinda wonder why minor league prospects aren't told "don't run into walls".  Especially one with the pedigree and injury history of Jenkins?

These games don't really count beyond development, and for reasons nobody fully understands modern players are getting injured at an alarming rate, much worse than a generation or two ago.  So... in meaningless games, can the Walter Jenkins-type players of the world not be told "Don't run into walls"? 

Buxton learned to preserve his body, finally, after many injuries, and his wall crashes at least were in MLB games.  The cost/benefit of running into walls in a minor league game is very bad.

[terrydactyls]

2 hours ago, bean5302 said:

I didn't say that. I said "Cardenas" is looking like Wallner. Olivar might be taking Cardenas' place in AAA? Hopefully, maybe? Though Cardenas is considered a good defensive guy as I recall where Olivar is not.

Thanks for the clarification.  Because I'm so old, I tend to read very fast and I skip words.  I missed the transition from Oliver to Cardenas.  The end could come at any time.

[bean5302]

38 minutes ago, terrydactyls said:

Thanks for the clarification.  Because I'm so old, I tend to read very fast and I skip words.  I missed the transition from Oliver to Cardenas.  The end could come at any time.

I read things which aren't there sometimes too, lol. I should slow down and trust that extra 3 seconds won't make a difference to my life as I saunter over to the sofa later in the day anyway LOL

[DJL44]

6 hours ago, Dman said:

Olivar is underrated because he likely is a 1st base DH bat IMO.  I know they play him in the outfield there, but who are they kidding? He's a guy that needs to be more stationary to not be a liability in the field.  Olivar just seems like an .800 OPS bat no matter what level he is at.  His bat has always been his carrying tool.  If there were room I'd like to see them move him up to AAA.  He and Sabato are similar players although Olivar is two years younger with a better K rate.  I'd like to see who wins that first base spot between him and Mendez.  Need them both at AAA to see how close to ready they might be.

Olivar is 5’10” (probably measured in cleats) and has never played a game at 1B. This is his 3rd season in Wichita.