The Twins have a strong contender for the top prospect next year with outfielder Walker Jenkins. Jenkins was the fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft.
The Lucky Twins
The Twins lucked into drafting the outfielder, having jumped from 13th to 5th overall in the league’s first ever draft lottery.
The draft class was one of the stronger classes in recent years, where Paul Skenes (1st), Dylan Crews (2nd), and Wyatt Langford (3rd) have all made an impact in the big leagues in very little time.
The top current prospects
According to MLB.com, Walker Jenkins is third in their prospect rankings for 2025. Who’s ahead of him? Roki Sasaki, who’s already set to start for the Dodgers this year, and Boston red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony who had a strong year in triple-A last season.
Anthony is more likely to hit the majors this season having already put in some time at Triple-A with the Red Sox. Jenkins had just tewenty five at bats at the Double-A level, so, by process of elimination, Jenkins is most to be the top prospect next year.
Why is he regarded so highly?
In 2023, the 19-year old hit .362 with a .989 OPS in 26 games between rookie ball and Low-A.
In 2024, he was injured at the beginning of his season. Once he got healthy, he hit .282 with a .833 OPS in 82 games across four levels of play. He spent most of his time in Low and High-A with 32 extra-base hits, 58 RBIs, 17 steals, and the youngster walked more than he struck out. Jenkins made his Double-A debut before the end of the season.
Mentally strong
Despite a strong level of play, Jenkins has his eyes set on the stars. At TwinsFest in January, he told MLB.com’s Matthew Leach:
“I’m always going to set extremely high expectations that almost feel out of reach, because I think that’s the only way I can get to where I want to be.”
That’s exactly what you want your stars to aspire. No matter the success, you want to do better. Top projected prospect? Not good enough. He wants more.
Make it six straight multihit games for Walker Jenkins.
The No. 5 overall Draft pick (@Twins) is batting .438/.455/.656 in seven games with Single-A Fort Myers. pic.twitter.com/lltRb6XYuS
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 3, 2023
2025 Outlook
Walker Jenkins is slated to begin the 2025 season in Double-A. He’ll be looking to stay healthy and live up to his personal goals this year. If he continues to perform as he has been in Wichita, he should finish the season in Triple-A, with the chance to make his major league debut next year, at 21-years old, or maybe even get a September call up.