Walker Jenkins

Walker Clay Jenkins
(Captain America)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 210 lb.
• High School South Brunswick High School (Southport)

• Born February 19, 2005 in Wilmington, NC USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Walker Jenkins was selected fifth overall by the Minnesota Twins in the 2023 amateur draft, out of a high school in North Carolina. He was considered the best high school player available in the draft, although he was the second high schooler to be taken, after Max Clark by the Detroit Tigers with the third overall pick. He was considered the top player to come out of North Carolina since Josh Hamilton.

He made his pro debut with the FCL Twins shortly after signing with Minnesota for a signing bonus of $7.14 million in 2023, then after 14 games was promoted to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels of the Florida State League. In 26 games between the two, he hit .362/.417/.571 with 3 homers and 22 RBIs. In 2024, a hamstring injury limited him to 82 games spread among four teams, including a rehabilitation assignment back in the Florida Complex League. He played 33 games for Fort Myers, another 34 with the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Midwest League, and 6 with the Wichita Wind Surge of the Texas League. At just 19, that made him one of the youngest players in AA that year. Overall, his slash line was .282/.394/.439, with 6 homers, 51 runs and 58 RBIs. He also went 17 for 20 in stolen base attempts.

In 2025, he was once again hit by injuries, this time to an ankle, and played at four different levels, including a couple of rehabilitation assignments, for a total of 84 games. The season included 52 games for Wichita and 23 for the St. Paul Saints of the International League as he made it to AAA at age 20. His numbers continued to be impressive, with a slash line of .286/.399/.451, with 10 homers, 56 runs and 34 RBIs, as he was being developed as a future lead-off hitter. He continued to do well on the basepaths too, with 17 steals in 21 attempts. After the season, he was named a AA All-Star. He had more injuries in 2026, forcing him to play rehabilitation games in Class A and High-A in mid-June (he went 9 for 16 with 2 homers). Before and after that, he was with St. Paul. With the expectation of making his major league debut closer than ever, he made the news for a completely different reason on July 1st, when he noticed that a youth player, who was standing on the field next to Saints players during the playing of the National Anthem before the game, had a fainting spell. He caught him before he collapsed, then carried him off the field in his arms to the team's athletic trainer so he could be attended to. The kid turned out to be fine and was given a Jenkins jersey as a memento.

Further Reading

• Benjamin Hill: "Our hero! Prospect nicknamed 'Captain America' comes to aid of fainting child", mlb.com, July 1, 2026. [1]
• Do-Hyoung Park: "Twins land top-ranked high school OF Jenkins at No. 5", mlb.com, July 10, 2023. [2]