It's not every day you get to witness a baseball organization's top prospect. However, that is the case right now at Hammond Stadium. The Twins' brightest young star, Walker Jenkins, is beginning his professional career in Fort Myers with the Mighty Mussels at the ripe age of 19.
“This is the best job in the world," Jenkins said. "I get to come out here and play baseball every day. It’s fun, man.”
Jenkins is just having fun. The 19-year-old is the Twins' top prospect and is ranked as the fifth-best prospect across all of the minor leagues.
“It’s an honor," Jenkins said. "It’s kind of humbling ... I’m thankful for it.”
When you look at Jenkins, you can see what the scouts see in him. The outfielder is built like Captain America, according to Mighty Mussels Manager Brian Meyer. Jenkins is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds. He's got the size and strength to be a big leaguer already, not to mention the speed to snag another base or cover some more ground in the outfield.
“The physical tools, the intellect, that maturity that he has shown is what really gets people excited about him," Meyer said.
That excitement started at a young age. Walker was born and raised in North Carolina. He picked up a bat for the first time when he was two or three. From then on, Jenkins fell in love with the sport.
"I was a very active kid," he said. "[My parents] probably just wanted to get me out of the house.”
Tee-ball quickly led to the big diamond. Scouts have had their eyes on Jenkins for years. He originally signed to play collegiately at the University of North Carolina. However, last July, just a couple of weeks after graduating high school, Walker was selected with the No. 5 overall draft pick by the Minnesota Twins.
“He is one of, if not the most mature 19-year-olds I’ve ever been around in my life," Meyer said.
Since then, Jenkins has been living up to the hype at Hammond Stadium. He has been bouncing between the Mighty Mussels and the Twins development team due to injuries, but no matter what roster he's on, he's impressed. This season, Walker has a .287 batting average and an .839 OPS. He credits a lot of his success to the Twins' facilities in Fort Myers and how well the Mighty Mussels treat their players.
“It’s pretty much luxury living over here," Jenkins said. "It’s been nice and it’s really helped me.”
With the numbers he's putting up, don't be surprised when you hear the name Walker Jenkins in the big leagues very soon.
“I want to come out and be the best baseball player I can be and hopefully the best that ever steps foot on the field," Jenkins said.