SEATTLE – With a consensus top five players in the 2023 MLB 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. Picking a top five player in the draft is a boon to the farm system, leaping 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-foot-3, 205-pound lefthanded hitter stands out because he uses such a simple lead-in to his swing, but he hits for as much power as any high school hitter.
Scouts view Jenkins, a North Carolina commit, as a potential 30-home run threat. He’s the top North Carolina high school prospect since Josh Hamilton was the No. 1 pick in 1999. Jenkins features power to all fields and an arm suitable for right field.
Despite being pitched around at the high school level, Jenkins hit .480 this spring as he cemented himself as a top-five pick. He missed time last summer with a hamate injury, then rebounded with a breakout spring.
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 immediately challenges Brooks Lee, last year’s first-round pick who is playing at Class AA Wichita, as the No. 1 prospect in the organization.
The Twins have until July 25 to sign their draft picks.