At USC, Jenkins had a standout career from through. In his final season, he batted.399 with 78 RBI and a.748 slugging percentage in 70 games, also scoring 75 runs to tie the school record held by Rich Dauer and Mark McGwire; his 23 home runs and 193 total bases ranked second in school history behind McGwire's totals of 32 and 216. He led the Trojans to the College World Series, where they reached the championship game; Jenkins was named to the all-CWS team, and also earned team co-MVP honors and was named a consensus All-American. In, the year of the CWS' 50th tournament, Jenkins was named to the all-decade team for the 1990s. He finished his USC career with a.369 batting average, 45 home runs, a.652 slugging percentage, 180 runs, and school records for runs batted in and total bases.
Professional career
Minor leagues
Jenkins was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. He spent the 1995–1998 seasons within the Milwaukee farm system, and made his big league debut with the Brewers as an early season call-up, on April 24, 1998.
Milwaukee Brewers
On April 24, 1998, he singled off Orel Hershiser, in his first career plate appearance against the San Francisco Giants and hit a fifth-inning home run off Hersheiser in his third career plate appearance. On September 23 that same year, in the midst of a tense Wild Card race, Jenkins hit the routine fly ball that Brant Brown of the Chicago Cubs dropped allowing three runs to score and the Brewers to win. Jenkins would go on to bat over.300 in his 2nd and 3rd seasons, driving in 90 or more runs three times for one of the perennially weaker teams in the league. In, he was the Brewers' team MVP. He led the Brewers in batting average and home runs. His season was cut short when on June 17 in a game against the Houston Astros he suffered a horrific-looking dislocated ankle when sliding into third base feet first during a game. He was safe on the play. He was selected to the National League's All-Star team in via the MLB's All-Star Final Vote contest where a player is selected from both leagues by fans to join their respective team after the initial roster is announced. On June 8,, he became the 8th player in Major League history to strike out six times in a single game. After playing in left field for virtually his entire career, he moved to right field for the and seasons when Milwaukee acquired Carlos Lee. In 2006, Jenkins experienced a prolonged offensive slump, struggling in particular against left-handed pitching. In August 2006, the Brewers benched Jenkins, one of their highest-paid players at the time, in favor of the younger Corey Hart. In 2007, Jenkins returned to left field to platoon with Kevin Mench. On October 30, 2007, the Brewers officially declined their $9 million option on Jenkins' contract, making him a free agent for the season.
Philadelphia Phillies
On December 20, 2007, Jenkins signed a two-year, $13 million deal with a vesting option for 2010 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He returned to Miller Park in a Phillies uniform on April 23, 2008, to a crowd of just over 30,000. Jenkins was welcomed back with a tribute video, highlighting his ten-year career with the Brewers, and the standing ovation that followed. He received a second ovation while leading off the second inning. Philadelphia would go on to lose the game, 5–4. Jenkins went 0 for 3, with a walk and a stolen base. In the postseason, his only hit came on a leadoff double in the bottom of the 6th inning of Game 5 of the World Series. Jenkins‘ hit set the tone for the finale of the World Series as the Phillies won the World Series and earned Jenkins his first World Series ring of his 11-year career. Jenkins was released by the Phillies at the end of spring training on March 31,.
Retirement
On July 9, 2010, Jenkins retired from baseball as a Milwaukee Brewer.
