Jenkins plays walk-off hero for Mighty Mussels

The Twins promoted Walker Jenkins to Single-A on Wednesday, and in just two appearances with the club, he’s already single-handedly winning ball games.

In his second game for Fort Myers, the 2023 fifth overall pick tallied his first three-hit performance as a pro, his first Single-A RBIs and to top it all off, his first career walk-off knock.

Jenkins went 3-for-6 with a double and a pair of singles -- including the aforementioned game-winning knock -- in the Mighty Mussels' 3-2 win over the Tortugas at Hammond Stadium on Friday.

“I always tell people, I hate losing more than I like winning, so that kind of sums up the way I play baseball on the baseball field,” said Jenkins at his introductory press conference last month. “I’m going to give it my all. Go 100 percent, try to be the best player, teammate that I can be.”

WALKER WALKS IT OFF IN THE 10TH! pic.twitter.com/XBupRGevKm

— Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (@MightyMussels) August 26, 2023

Just 16 games into his Twins career, MLB Pipeline's No. 16 prospect has already started to back up that statement.

Prior to his promotion, Jenkins played in 14 games in the Florida Complex League and slashed .333/.390/.537 with two big flies, four stolen bases and an 8-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The top Twins prospect is a scout's dream when it comes to tools. At just 18 years old, his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame already grades 55 or higher in every category, with both 60-grade hit and power tools.

Due to the time off that comes after the high school season, the Twins plan to focus on Jenkins' physical development in the lower levels this year before ramping up his baseball competition. With that being said, if he finishes his first taste of pro ball on a positive note, Jenkins could be a candidate to rapidly rise through the system in 2024.