SEATTLE – With a consensus top five players in the 2023 major league draft and the No. 5 overall pick, the Twins took the one who was available to them.
The Twins drafted Walker Jenkins, a North Carolina high school outfielder who impressed throughout the spring and was considered one of the two best prep players in this year’s draft class. There were no big surprises within the first five picks, but it was a fortunate position for the Twins after they leapt eight spots in the inaugural draft lottery last winter.
Jenkins, 18, was rated as the No. 4 player in the draft class by Baseball America. The 6-3, 205-pound lefthanded hitter stands out because he uses such a compact lead-in to his swing, but he hits for as much power as any high school hitter.
“He’s the best prep hit/power combo since Bobby Witt Jr. in 2019 and has a shot to be the face of a franchise,” wrote ESPN draft analyst Kiley McDaniel, noting Jenkins will rank as his No. 21 prospect in the minor leagues once he signs. The slot value for the No. 5 pick is $7.14 million.
Scouts view Jenkins, a University of North Carolina commit from South Brunswick High School, as a potential 30-home run threat. He’s the top North Carolina high school position player prospect since Josh Hamilton was the No. 1 pick in 1999. Jenkins features power to all fields and enough arm strength suitable for right field. He features solid speed, and he might be given a chance to start his pro career in center field, but he can be an impact corner outfielder with his power profile.
Despite being pitched around at the high school level, Jenkins hit .417 this year with a .632 on-base percentage and .633 slugging percentage as he cemented himself as a top-five pick. Born with a hip impingement, he was sidelined during his freshman year after surgery and took up swimming, a sport where he helped his school to eighth at state in the 200-yard freestyle relay. He missed time last summer because of a hamate injury, then rebounded with a breakout spring.
“It’s amazing how much damage he can do with such a simple swing,” wrote Fangraphs prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen. “He has one of the better contact and power blends among hitters in the draft.”
The Twins have an opportunity to give a real boost to their farm system with three of the first 49 picks in the draft, recouping some of the prospect capital they lost from trade deadline deals to acquire Tyler Mahle and Jorge López last summer.
Jenkins will immediately challenge shortstop Brooks Lee, last year’s first-round pick who is playing at Class AA Wichita, for No. 1-rated prospect in the organization.
“After the game we played against South Brunswick this year,” a rival high school coach, Tommy Bowker, told the Wilmington Star-News, “I walked up to Walker and said, ‘Just out of my curiosity, why didn’t you go to PRO5 Academy or something like that to help your draft stock?’ He said, ‘Coach, I’ve played with these kids at South Brunswick my entire life, and I wasn’t going to leave them for that. I’ll get where I need to go.’ You don’t come around kids like that too often.”
The Twins have until July 25 to sign their draft picks. Rounds 3-10 will be conducted Monday and the draft will conclude with rounds 11-20 on Tuesday.