|
Walker Jenkins
Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 60
The best high school hitter from North Carolina since Josh Hamilton was the No. 1 overall pick back in 1999, Jenkins was thought to be one of five legitimate 1-1 caliber talents in the 2023 Draft class. The Twins, who had the No. 5 pick courtesy of the first MLB Draft Lottery, were thrilled when Jenkins was still available. He signed for a full-slot bonus of $7.14 million and made a strong first impression by reaching full-season ball and posting a .988 combined OPS in 26 games during his pro debut.
With a strong 6-foot-3 frame and a ton of bat speed from the left side of the plate, Jenkins has the chance to be a plus hitter with plus power. He can punish good velocity, showing the ability to turn on balls already and hit them out to his pull side, though his double-plus raw pop shows up to the opposite field as well. He makes a ton of hard contact, and in his pro debut, he didn’t swing and miss much, with his hit tool right now a touch ahead of his in-game power.
A solid runner with good instincts, Jenkins began his pro career mostly playing center field, and that’s largely where he’s going to play during his first full season of pro ball as well. He’ll get some exposure to the corners just so he’s comfortable there if there’s an opening whenever his bat is ready for Minnesota, but there’s internal conviction he can stay up the middle.
I tried to keep a lot of the facial lines as it makes him less generic. If he makes the bigs and gets a clean, non-smiling professional media day photo, I'll relook him in the years ahead. He's still young.
|