SEATTLE – About 20 minutes after Walker Jenkins celebrated his selection in the MLB Draft with his family, he hopped over to his town's watch party and began signing autographs for children.
There were more than 50 people in a local church from the small beach community who erupted when the Twins took Jenkins with the No. 5 overall pick. Jenkins taped a short video thanking them for their support as he watched the draft with his family, then immediately joined them afterward.
"The Twins organization and community is not just getting a great baseball player, but a great person," said Mike Anderson, who coached Jenkins for two seasons at South Brunswick High School. "He is going to give as much as he puts into the game into the community."
Jenkins, the player, was widely considered one of the top two high school prospects in this year's draft class. Listed at 6-3, 205 pounds, the lefthanded batter stands out with his ability to hit for power with such a compact swing.
Most members of the Twins' scouting department began watching Jenkins two years ago at a high school showcase in Hoover, Alabama. Several former Twins players, including Michael Cuddyer, Denny Hocking, LaTroy Hawkins and Doug Mientkiewicz, are coaches with Team USA on the national youth baseball circuit and vouched for Jenkins.
"That was a guy you saw play for a few days and you're like, 'That's going to be the guy in a couple of years,' " said Sean Johnson, the Twins' amateur scouting director. "He really stood out. Physically advanced, had a great swing, has all five tools and it's a guy that you're excited to be able to draft but you're thinking, 'He's going to go towards the top,' and we never want to be picking up this high."
Jenkins' nickname among the Team USA coaches was "Captain America" because of his leadership style. It even stood out in a setting when he was surrounded by the other top high school players in the country.
Charlee Soto, a Florida high school pitcher who the Twins took with their second pick at No. 34 overall, remembered when Jenkins broke his hamate at a national showcase last summer. One day after the injury, Soto said, Jenkins chose to return to the dugout to cheer on his showcase teammates.