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Age: 19 (DOB: 2/19/2005)
2024 Stats (Low-A, High-A, Double-A): 102 G, .282/.394/.439 (.883), 22 2B, 6 HR, 17 SB, 56 BB, 47 K
ETA: 2026
National Top 100 Rankings
BA: 6 | MLB: 2 | ATH: 9 | BP: 6
The Twins' good fortune in the 2023 MLB Draft Lottery cannot be overstated. Not only did they move up to the fifth overall pick despite having the 13th-worst record, they did so in an outstanding draft class. The additional bonus pool money allowed the Twins to lean into an excellent prep class, taking Charlee Soto, Brandon Winokur, and Dylan Questad. Additionally, it allowed them a crack at a player from a consensus top-five cluster of elite prospects.
After Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, Max Clark, and Wyatt Langford were selected with the first four picks, the Twins selected Walker Jenkins, an outfielder out of South Brunswick High School, North Carolina. How has he performed so far? What’s left to work on? What might we expect in 2025? Let’s dig in.
What’s to Like?
Jenkins is an impressive athlete, at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds. A sweet-swinging left-handed hitter, he made short work of two levels of pro ball in his 2023 post-draft debut. In 14 games in the Florida Complex League, Jenkins managed a .927 OPS, before bettering it for Fort Myers. In a 12-game Florida State League debut, Jenkins mashed his way to a 1.054 OPS, vaulting his name into the mix for a late-season call-up to Cedar Rapids.
That call was not forthcoming, however. Jenkins returned to Fort Myers for the beginning of the 2024 season and suffered a hamstring strain after one at-bat, which kept him sidelined for two months, until Jun. 4. Jenkins had a relatively slow start in his second pass at Low A, but heated up to the tune of an .817 OPS in 33 games, earning a promotion to Cedar Rapids at the end of July. Jenkins was even better at High-A, managing an .863 OPS in 34 games. When the Kernels' season ended, he was called up to Double-A Wichita for the final two weeks of their season. Not bad for your age-19 season.
There’s lots to like that underpins Jenkins’ strong 2024 performance. The approach and swing decisions are strong. He held a 13.6 K% and 14.5 BB% over three minor-league levels. The bat-to-ball skills are good, too. Jenkins had an excellent 82.2% Contact% in 2024, while maintaining an aggressive approach to pitches in the zone, a below-average chase rate, and an excellent in-zone whiff percentage (just 9.9% at Fort Myers). All of that adds up a strong offensive platform and a well-rounded profile, so what’s left to work on?
What Left to Work on?
The most frequent criticism leveled at Jenkins’ profile thus far in his pro career has been a lack of power production, so let’s dig in there. In 2024, he managed a .426 SLG, with 19 doubles, three triples, and six home runs.
Jenkins’s 90th-percentile exit velocity in 2024 for games in which we have data (Low A) is 101.7 mph, right around average for the level (102.1 mph). Some industry folks have dinged him for this. My opinion is he’ll continue to grow into more power. Players typically add more than 2 mph to their 90th-percentile exit velocity between the ages of 19 and 21. Additionally, Jenkins was hitting the ball 95 mph or harder 35.4% of the time (again, numbers from Fort Myers), slightly better than the 32.1% league average, and was hitting the ball at a launch angle between 10 and 30 degrees 29.3% of the time (28.2% league average). In other words, he’s hitting the ball hard consistently, on trajectories that will consistently lead to extra-base impact, all at a very early age. If you want to knock Jenkins for a lack of power in a season and a half of pro ball, you can, it’s just too early for that take from my perspective.
What’s Next?
Hopefully, a run of clean health and a long runway at Double-A in 2025. Jenkins's most likely MLB arrival date is 2026. This season seems unlikely, barring an incandescent first few months of the season.
While Jenkins's supplementary tools aren’t spectacular, they’re average at worst. He’ll likely end up an average runner, but he’s a tick above that now, with a solid glove and a strong arm that should enable him to stick in center field for the short and medium term. Long-term, right field might be the most likely destination, but that shouldn’t impact his value adversely, given the richness of his offensive profile.
Jenkins's on-base skills shelter him somewhat from matchups. He didn’t show unmanageable platoon disadvantages or extreme susceptibility to certain pitch types, yet. The swing decisions, approach, and bat-to-ball skills give me confidence that Jenkins is one of the better prospects in baseball entering 2025. The continued development of his power stroke can elevate him to superstar prospect status. Next season will speak volumes on how likely that outcome is.
Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!
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