Twins Daily 2024 Top Prospects: #1 Walker Jenkins, OF

Age: 18 (DOB: 2/19/2005)
2023 Stats (Rk/A): 115 PA, .362/.417/.571, 3 HR, 22 RBI
ETA: 2026
2023 Ranking: NR

National Top 100 Rankings
BA: 13 | MLB: 10 | ATH: 15 | BP: 16

What's To Like
At this point? Everything. Walker Jenkins was considered a "1-1" player in the draft (worthy of taking first overall) because he, like four others with that billing from the loaded 2023 class, excels at everything and projects achievable superstar potential. Aaron Gleeman aptly describes Jenkins as looking "like he was built in a lab to play baseball, with a physical, athletic 6-foot-3 frame and a smooth left-handed swing that already produces big-time power."

That swing and power earned Jenkins rave reviews as a prep star in Southport, North Carolina. In glancing through some highlights from his days at South Brunswick High School, it's not hard to see why Bryce Harper comparisons took root for the lefty-swinging outfielder, who's also drawn parallels to fellow North Carolina prep standout Josh Hamilton and Hall of Famer Larry Walker. 

The Twins were thrilled to get Jenkins with the fifth pick, going slightly over-slot to sign him for $7.14 million soon after. The 18-year-old sealed his rep as one of the truly elite prospects in the game by dominating his pro debut, posting a .989 OPS in 26 games between the rookie-level Florida Complex League and Single-A Florida State League. His huge power was on display with three homers, four triples and five doubles in 116 plate appearances, but at the same time Jenkins struck out out only 12% of the time in his first exposure to pro pitching. His compact swing helps him get to the ball with lightning quickness and catch up to high velocity.

A combination of contact and power skills puts Jenkins in rarefied air, and he rounds out his hitting prowess with a true five-tool skill set. He can run, he can track down the ball in the outfield, and he's got a big arm. His baseball IQ, makeup and leadership receive tremendously high marks. Jenkins is the full package.

What's Left To Work On
As great as everything looks right now, Jenkins has a long way to go. He has proven his superiority over players in high school and the lowest levels of the minors but there are many upshifts in competition ahead, and many more hurdles for Jenkins to overcome. 

First and foremost, he needs to stay healthy. That has been a challenge for many of the club's highest-drafted and highest-ranked prospects in years past, ranging from Royce Lewis to Alex Kirilloff to Byron Buxton. Jenkins has already endured some injury issues in his high school career – he underwent surgery for a hip impingement as a freshman, and suffered a broken hamate bone during his senior year – but he was obviously healthy after signing last year. There's nothing about his build or approach that would suggest durability is going to be a concern.

From there, it's just a matter of handling more advanced pitching at each level, but Jenkins is well suited for the task with a plate approach that's going to be exceedingly tough to solve. Right now the outlook for his bat is less in question than the outlook for his glove. Jenkins played center field in high school and made all of his defensive starts there in the minors last year, but will he stick?

The Twins seem somewhat bullish on that idea, and Jenkins is fast enough that you can't rule it out, but most scouts feel he will outgrow the position and end up in an outfielder corner. That's not necessarily a big deal, because his bat projects to be a big asset anywhere, but obviously it's fun to dream on Jenkins putting up huge offensive numbers as a center fielder a la Mike Trout. 

For the time being, he figures to keep getting most if not all of his starts in center field, where his defense is currently a strength.

What's Next
Presumably Jenkins will pick up where he left off last year, playing in the Florida State League for at least the first few months. If he keeps performing the way he did during a 12-game stint last year, the outfielder could earn himself a promotion to Cedar Rapids once the weather gets warmer. Arriving at Double-A by year's end is not totally out of the question; such an ascent would likely place Jenkins among the game's very elite prospects. 

The baseball world is watching Jenkins with awe and anticipating big things in 2024. MLB.com's top prospect experts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo both predicted he'll be the best hitter in the minors this year.

"I feel like, in general, fans maybe underappreciate him a little bit because he was only the fifth pick in the Draft last year," said Callis. "He’d clearly be the number one pick in a lot of drafts. ... I mean, there’s not much this guy can’t do."

Twins Daily 2024 Top Prospects Countdown

20. Zebby Matthews, RHP
19. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP
18. Ricardo Olivar, OF
17. Connor Prielipp, LHP
16. Matt Canterino, RHP
15. Yunior Severino, 1B
14. Danny De Andrade, SS
13. C.J. Culpepper, RHP
12. Kala'i Rosario, OF
11. Luke Keaschall, 2B
10. Tanner Schobel, 2B
9. Brandon Winokur, OF
8. Charlee Soto, RHP
7. Cory Lewis, RHP
5. David Festa, RHP
4. Marco Raya, RHP
3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF
2. Brooks Lee, SS
1. Walker Jenkins, OF

Let's hear your thoughts on No. 1 prospect Walker Jenkins! You can check back tomorrow for a full recap of the list plus key takeaways as we head into the 2024 season.

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!