Tomahawk Take’s Top 20 Atlanta Braves Prospects: #15-11
11. Tyrell Jenkins
– by Philip Tapley, Tomahawk Take Staff Writer
Who He Is
Tyrell Jenkins is one of the first products of the Braves rebuild. The RHP came over from the Cardinals in the Jason Heyward trade, along with now departed Shelby Miller. He was drafted 50th overall in 2010 out of Henderson HS in the Texas town of the same name. Jenkins has maintained some exciting momentum as a prospect. Baseball America ranked him as the Cardinals’ 4th best prospect after his first season, and he cracked BA’s top 100 after the 2011 season and the Baseball Prospectus top 100 after the 2012 season. Previous shoulder woes have somewhat cooled his hype in the last few years, but he still regularly features around the #10 rated prospect in a very deep Braves organization.
Jenkins has a 3-pitch mix, headlined by a mid-nineties heater with plus arm-side movement. He matches that with a curve that gets average to above average grades from scouts, and compliments with a change up that seems to have a ceiling of “effective when down in the zone.” Repeatable mechanics and consistent command of his pitches are a work in progress for Jenkins. At 23 years old, there is still reason to be optimistic on development of these skills, though; he missed time during his development with a shoulder muscle injury that was surgically repaired in 2014. The shoulder issue seems a problem of the past, as Jenkins surpassed 100 innings last year. Still, some worry the righty currently lacks a true out pitch. Time will tell.
His 2015
As mentioned, perhaps the biggest story of Jenkins’ 2015 was his health throughout a workload that amounted 138 innings, the highest total of his career. He pitched to a 3.00 ERA / 3.84 FIP in 93 innings at double-A Mississippi, and posted a 3.57 ERA / 4.48 FIP in 45 innings in triple-A Gwinnett. Despite modest strike out totals, Jenkins induced a lot of soft contact in 2015, which likely explains his ability to outperform his FIP at both levels last year. Arm fatigue is reported to have depressed his Gwinnett numbers, as he was very good in his first 5 starts there before stumbling later in his final 4 appearances. During 31 innings in his good run in Gwinnett, he limited hitters to 7 ER and 1 HR. Even during this span, though, Jenkins posted a rather uninspiring K/BB rate of 1.75 (21 Ks and 12 BBs in 31 innings).
2016 Projection and Future
Jenkins is very much in the Braves’ rotation plans moving forward. The industry consensus still seems to view his ceiling as a #3-#5 starter, with some recently wondering if he would be better suited as a reliever where he could scrap the change up and focus on velocity and movement. Regardless, you can expect Jenkins to start the year in Gwinnett, where his club hopes to see him improve on his consistency of command and bolster his K/9 rates, all while maintaining his health and plus velocity and movement. If all goes well, look for Jenkins in Atlanta as early as the trade deadline, and almost certainly for a September call up. As a member of the 40-man roster, Atlanta fans can enjoy a glimpse of Jenkins during the Braves’ spring training schedule this year.