The Minnesota Twins have been aggressive in pushing prospects through the system this season. Kaelen Culpepper, Minnesota’s 2024 first round pick, just made the leap to High-A. He will join top prospect Walker Jenkins, where the 2023 No. 5 overall pick has been on fire, of late.
Minnesota Twins Walker Jenkins settling in for Cedar Rapids
Walker Jenkins is the No. 4 prospect in all of baseball, according to the MLB.com Pipeline Rankings . The Minnesota Twins’ future superstar has become appointment viewing this summer for anyone near the town of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
In his last five games, Jenkins went 8-for-21 (.381) with three doubles, good for a .959 OPS. He struck out just twice and drew a pair of walks as well. He also swiped three bases. Jenkins profiles as a plus-defender in the outfield, and his athleticism could allow him to stick in center. Should he bulk up and lean into the power profile, than a corner outfield spot may make sense.
Jenkins’ journey this season started at rookie ball, before quickly moving on to Low-A Fort Myers. There, he posted an .817 OPS , across 33 games, before moving up to the Kernels, where he is now.
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The 19-year-old hasn’t tapped into that power swing yet, but his advanced approach has been evident since his first swing in the Twins system. And the power will come. Do you see those tree trunks? Remember, he’s still a teenager.
When could the Minnesota Twins see Walker Jenkins?
At Fort Myers, Jenkins owned a ridiculous 17/28 strikeout/walk ratio, and still holds an impressive 10/5 ratio at Cedar Rapids. An early hamstring injury slowed him down early, giving him no chance to reach Double-A by the end of the season, but that will probably be where he starts 2025.
The Twins will show how close Jenkins is in how they handle him next season. The expectation should be that the vast majority of 2025 is spent at Double-A Wichita. From there it could be a brief stint at Triple-A St. Paul, or Jenkins could skip the level and head straight to the big leagues. Regardless, a 2026 debut, or late 2025 call-up, seem to both be plausible.
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Jenkins is Minnesota’s highest-rated prospect since Byron Buxton was moving through the farm system. Coincidentally both play the same position, and there are profile parallels between the talents as well. It would be cool to see Jenkins usher in a new era as Buxton moves towards the latter half of his career.
Walker Jenkins leads a top-3 ranked Minnesota Twins minor league system. The last time it was ranked that high was when it was led by two top prospects named Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano.
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