'Captain America' stars at Double-A on the Fourth of July
This browser does not support the video element.
It was only fitting that the one dubbed "Captain America" brought the fireworks July 4.
Bestowed the nickname of the action movie hero by former Twin Michael Cuddyer, Walker Jenkins, the Twins' top prospect, came out swinging in his 16th game at the Double-A level Friday. In his first at-bat of the contest for Wichita, the left-handed-hitting outfielder struck out, but he returned to the dish soon after with a vengeance.
Jenkins singled a run home in the second inning and cranked a three-run homer to center field in the third. Tulsa righty Chris Campos (Dodgers) grooved an offspeed pitch into the heart of the plate, and Jenkins didn’t miss, helping lead the Wind Surge to a 14-2 rout of the Drillers at Riverfront Stadium.
"It was always going to take a little bit of time coming back from injury, getting settled," Wichita hitting coach Andrew Cresci said of Jenkins. "He hadn't seen live pitching in a little while when he was recovering. ... I think the minor adjustments that he's made are trending in a really, really good direction."
The long ball marked Jenkins' second in his past six games and third on the season. Jenkins, MLB's No. 15 prospect, connected on his first Double-A homer this past Saturday, when fellow Top 100 prospect JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals) also left the yard. Jenkins' season-high four RBIs matched a career high that he's notched four times, last done last July 24 with Single-A Fort Myers.
"The willingness to go in and work and challenge himself and to work through failure in the cage, in the game, those are probably the things that are going to elevate that bit of the power," Cresci said. "He's 20 years old. He's built like Captain America. The power is there. The bat speed is there. It's just obviously taking those steps."
Jenkins ended his evening 2-for-3, with a pair of runs and three walks to his ledger. He improved his Double-A batting average to .271 and OPS to .843, showing more of his 60-grade power tool that played a part in Minnesota drafting him fifth overall in 2023.
Looking to keep his power hitting ways alive, Jenkins also sparked home run magic for the guy hitting behind him. Twins No. 17 prospect Gabriel Gonzalez followed with a solo shot, his first at Double-A and sixth on the season.
Jenkins has missed parts of each of the past two seasons with various injuries, battling a quad strain and hamstring injury in 2024 and dealing with a left high ankle sprain at the start of his '25 season. Despite dealing with significant adversity early in his career, Jenkins has stayed positive through it all.
"He's very polite. I had to stop him calling me sir the first time I met him," laughed the 34-year-old Cresci, who previously coached younger players for Single-A Fayetteville, an Astros affiliate, in 2024.
"The success and the notoriety that he's gotten has not changed who this kid is. He works hard. He wants it. He has very high expectations of himself, and he works to achieve them."