Minnesota Twins Promote Top Prospect Walker Jenkins

After taking Walker Jenkins with the fifth overall pick in last year’s Major League Baseball draft, the Minnesota Twins have seen him start out his pro career strong. Despite missing time with a hamstring injury this year, he still made quick work of Low-A.

Walker Jenkins inches closer to Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins started Walker Jenkins in the Complex League last year. A .927 OPS across just 14 games earned him a trip across the parking lot. Jenkins finished his season with Low-A Fort Myers. This spring Jenkins experience a bit of a slowplay as he built up, but was ready for Opening Day. Starting again with the Mighty Mussels, Jenkins went down during the first game of the season. That didn’t stop him from coming back and earning a quick promotion to High-A Cedar Rapids.

Guess who’s getting promoted?? Walker Jenkins is moving on up to High-A Cedar Rapids!

Jenkins hit .273 with 10 XBH, 28 BB and 33 RBI in 33 games (.817 OPS), reaching base in 31 of those games.

He was on a tear last week and drove in 8 runs over the last 4 games vs. Dunedin pic.twitter.com/zyQhPJ57sP

— Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (@MightyMussels) July 29, 2024

Jenkins ultimately played in just 33 games for the Mighty Mussels this year. He missed a couple of months due to the hamstring issue, but returned and dominated. His .273/.404/.413 slash line has a clear indication of what he is currently excelling at. Jenkins carried a 17/28 K/BB ratio, and simply spat on pitches that he couldn’t do anything with. Despite being two years younger than the average age for the level, Jenkins looked like a seasoned pro.

At just 19 years old Jenkins will journey to High-A. The Kernels are 54-40 on the year overall, and 17-13 in the second half. 3.5 games back of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Cedar Rapids will look to Jenkins for a boost to get them into the postseason.

It remains unlikely that the Minnesota Twins would see Jenkins at the big league level next season. He could definitely push for a look by the end of the year. Otherwise, Opening Day 2026 is a very real possibility.

Related: Minnesota Twins New Top Prospect Puts System in Rarefied Air

Minnesota Twins promote Ricardo Olivar as well

It’s not just Jenkins moving up a level for the Minnesota Twins on Monday. Ricardo Olivar also vacated a spot at High-A to join Double-A Wichita. The catcher/outfielder prospect has seen a consistent rise since being signed as an international free agent prior to 2021. Now 22 years old, Olivar posted a .287/.393/.473 slash line at Cedar Rapids.

We're sending another good harvest up to the Wind Surge 🌽 Congrats to catcher Ricardo Olivar on his promotion to Double-A! The Kernels wish you well in Wichita! #TwinsTerritory pic.twitter.com/2sCBVkgwoo

— Cedar Rapids Kernels (@CRKernels) July 29, 2024

Power is part of Olivar’s game as he hit 11 home runs in 81 games this season. He possesses strong on-base skills, and brings an offensive profile to the catcher position. It will be interesting to see how he handles catching duties at the next level. Each of the past two seasons he has generated just a 13% caught stealing rate while allowing more than 70 stolen bases.

Related: Bleacher Report REALLY Loves the Minnesota Twins Farm System