Minnesota Twins outfielder Walker Jenkins has a bright future. The soon-to-be 20-year-old capped off a strong first season of professional baseball in 2024 but according to MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park, he could be in for an even bigger year in 2025.
Park gave Jenkins a resounding review while giving one Twins prospect to watch for 2025. While he stopped short of saying he could make his major league debut next summer, he believes his stock will continue to grow as he enters the new year.
“Is it a cop-out to pick the top prospect in the organization and the guy who could be on the cusp of becoming the top overall prospect in baseball? Perhaps.” Park wrote. “But that’s exactly why all eyes should be on him in what could be a huge ‘25. He ascended all the way to a Double-A cameo as a 19-year-old…and along the way showed every bit of the tremendous strike zone control and bat-to-ball ability (more walks than strikeouts) that have the Twins dreaming big.”
Walker Jenkins had a tremendous first season in the Minnesota Twins organization
Jenkins was the reason Twins fans were so fired up about moving up to the fifth pick in the 2023 MLB Draft Lottery. A class that included Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates), Dylan Crews (Washington Nationals) and Wyatt Langford (Texas Rangers) has already made a major league impact but Jenkins and fellow high schooler Max Clark (Detroit Tigers) could make it even stronger.
Jenkins's first full season got off to a rough start with a hamstring injury on Opening Day but he returned to hit .273/.404/.413 with three homers and 33 RBI with Low-A Fort Myers. Jenkins wasn’t slowed down by a promotion to Advanced-A Cedar Rapids, hitting .290/.382/.481 with three homers, 17 RBI and eight stolen bases in 34 games and played his final six games with Double-A Wichita, going 4-for-28 with an RBI, three walks and two stolen bases.
While the overall stats were solid, so was his approach at the place, posting a 15.2 percent walk rate and a 12 percent strikeout rate last season.
Walker Jenkins could be a dark horse to make his MLB debut in 2025
Jenkins’s age suggests he’s another year away from the big leagues. But there’s enough to suggest he could make his Major League debut in 2025. Jenkins is already the top prospect in the Twins organization according to MLB.com and they currently have Jenkins behind Crews in MLB.com’s top 100 rankings for the end of the 2024 season.
With Crews projected to become a full-time player for the Nationals next season, Jenkins could graduate to the top spot quickly and his approach suggests a quick path to the big leagues as Carlos Correa led the Twins with a 16.6 percent strikeout rate and Carlos Santana had a team-high 10.9 percent walk rate last year.
Jenkins will start next season at Double-A but should make his way to Triple-A St. Paul by the end of the year. While Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner have the corner outfield spots locked up, Jenkins could make his major league debut as a backup to Byron Buxton in center field or take advantage if Larnach or Wallner get injured or don’t perform up to standards.
In a system that has plenty of standouts, Jenkins could rise to the top and it could clear the way for a massive season in 2025.