'He's a stud': Top prospects Jenkins, Wetherholt trade homers at Double-A
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The Central divisions are in good hands.
Specifically, the hands of Walker Jenkins and JJ Wetherholt.
The pair of Top 100 prospects are two of nine players from AL or NL Central organizations ranked among the top 20 prospects in baseball, and on Saturday night in Springfield’s 12-6 win over Wichita at Riverfront Stadium, they went toe-to-toe.
Top of the first inning: Wetherholt
Getting the first opportunity to make a splash against his Top 100 counterpart was the Cardinals’ No. 1 prospect -- and he set the tone. After swinging through right-hander Darren Bowen’s first offering, and taking a ball to even the count, the former West Virginia Mountaineer drilled an offspeed pitch 414 feet, landing in the right-field bullpen.
The two-run mash was Wetherholt’s fifth of the season, putting Springfield up early.
“Oh, he's a stud, man,” said Jenkins of Wetherholt. “You look up at the scoreboard, like, hang on, this dude’s hitting .315 or whatever it is. Just peppering balls all over the place.”
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Bottom of the first inning: Jenkins
Despite being down four runs right from the jump, MLB's No. 6 prospect stayed selective in the box. Jenkins walked on five pitches -- the Twins affiliate's lone runner in the frame.
“I'm going to do everything I can to help guys that I'm playing with win the game and go as hard as I can,” Jenkins said. “So, no matter where I'm at or where I'm playing, I feel like I'm always going to give it my all.”
Top of the second: Wetherholt
Looking to replicate his first knock of the contest, MLB's No. 16 prospect put a charge into the fifth pitch he saw from Bowen, clubbing a fly ball deep into straightaway center field. Unlike his first at-bat, however, the ball hung up just enough for Jenkins to make the catch on the warning track.
Bottom of the fourth: Jenkins
Following four more runs from Springfield, Jenkins dug in for his second opportunity. The first pitch caught the bottom of the zone for a strike; the next pitch -- a changeup -- caught the barrel of Jenkins’ bat.
The Twins’ top prospect sent a moonshot to left field, landing in the opposite bullpen of Wetherholt’s homer. The laser marked the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder's first Double-A homer and put the Wind Surge on the board.
“It was awesome,” said the 2023 first-rounder. “Rounding the bases, looking at the bullpen, seeing the guys, coming back in the dugout, getting some high fives and hugs. It's always awesome to be there with the boys.”
Along with being Jenkins’ first homer since being activated off the injured list on June 17, the solo jack -- his second overall of the year -- gave him knocks in each of his past five games and eight out of nine games at Double-A since returning from the injured list.
The 20-year-old 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.
“I just go with it, man,” Jenkins said. “Sometimes there are things that I feel like the Lord puts in my life that are out of my control and I'm going to continue to work hard and do what I can to be a better player and a better person, both on and off the field. I’m blessed to play baseball. It’s the greatest game on Earth.”
In addition to the dueling homers, Jenkins logged a single in the bottom of the seventh and Wetherholt reached base after getting hit by a pitch in the eighth.
The night raised Wetherholt’s OPS to .888 on the year -- second highest in the Texas League.
“He's a great ball player,” Jenkins said. “Seems like a super great guy. I got to talk to him a little bit briefly today. It's really fun to watch him play.”