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Twins prospect Kaelen Culpepper has been named to the All-Stars Futures Game roster for the second consecutive season as he waits for his MLB debut.
The 2024 first-round pick, currently playing for Triple-A St. Paul Saints, is one of the Twins’ top prospects. A trip to the majors could come this year. In the meantime, he’ll be in the showcase for the game’s top prospects on July 12 during the all-star week’s festivities in Philadelphia.
“It’s my second straight year doing it, and it’s a huge honor,” Culpepper said. “So, I’m pretty excited about that. I want to play in the Futures Game, get some digs. I’m just being patient, ready for my name to be called.”
Culpepper has been eyed for promotion, but a hip strain sidelined him for two weeks in June.
“I think when you’re sitting on the bench for two weeks, trying to rehab and recover, you learn a lot about yourself,” the shortstop said on Thursday.
“I just need to be more active in the training room, take it more seriously, never doubt anything,” he continued. “I never take anything for granted.”
That lesson was hammered home on Tuesday, when he was hit in the hand by a pitch. Now, he’s day-to-day. When he returns is up to his trainers, but he reported no lingering pain two days later.
Though when the ball hit, he admitted, “95 straight to the hand never feels good.”
Culpepper would know — he’s been hit by six pitches this season.
Nearing the halfway point of his first Triple-A season, Culpepper is posting a .272/.376/.492 slash line heading into Saturday’s play, with an .868 OPS — nearly all career highs since being drafted in 2024. He was tied for the eighth-most runs in the International League (54), tied for the 16th-most homers (14) and tied for 28th in stolen bases (15).
“Our director of player development, he’s always constantly in communication with me, so I’m kind of always in the loop with things,” Culpepper said. “But they have a plan for me, and I’m just trying to stick with that plan, and that’s just getting healthy and feeling as great as I can, to be back on the field and playing every day.”
While the selection to the Futures Game alone is an honor, he’s excited for the game itself.
“An event like that, you just kind of take it all in,” Culpepper said. “You’re playing with the game’s best prospects on the biggest stage, and on a nice field.”
He’s eager to play with teammate Walker Jenkins. The two were roommates when he was first drafted.
“Being able to experience that with him is going to be awesome,” Culpepper said. “I’m really happy for him. He deserves it, he’s a hard worker, he’s a great person. He’s maybe more humble than I am. I love that kid to death, and he works his butt off, on and off the field. I’m really happy for him and his family to experience that.”
Culpepper grew up in Tennessee, where he admits baseball wasn’t the most competitive. He went to Georgia to get on the map, and while he had an opportunity to sign professionally after graduating high school, he wasn’t highly recruited. He’d commit to Kansas State University, where he says he proved himself as a freshman.
In his first year, he hit .283/.356/.428 with five homers and 27 runs. He slashed .328/.419/.574 with a .993 OPS, 11 homers and 50 runs in his junior year, before being picked 21st overall by the Twins in 2024.
“I try to stay grounded and stay humble,” Culpepper said. “But for the most part, I know whatever I earn, I’ve worked really hard for and I kind of just try to stay with that mindset throughout my career.”
He credits a “huge support system” for their support and motivation.
“It’s just a combination of all those things,” Culpepper said. “Knowing what I want to do, having a strong love for the game, wanting to be able to provide for them and change their lives.”
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The 2024 first-round pick, currently playing for Triple-A St. Paul Saints, is one of the Twins’ top prospects. A trip to the majors could come this year. In the meantime, he’ll be in the showcase for the game’s top prospects on July 12 during the all-star week’s festivities in Philadelphia.
“It’s my second straight year doing it, and it’s a huge honor,” Culpepper said. “So, I’m pretty excited about that. I want to play in the Futures Game, get some digs. I’m just being patient, ready for my name to be called.”
Culpepper has been eyed for promotion, but a hip strain sidelined him for two weeks in June.
“I think when you’re sitting on the bench for two weeks, trying to rehab and recover, you learn a lot about yourself,” the shortstop said on Thursday.
“I just need to be more active in the training room, take it more seriously, never doubt anything,” he continued. “I never take anything for granted.”
That lesson was hammered home on Tuesday, when he was hit in the hand by a pitch. Now, he’s day-to-day. When he returns is up to his trainers, but he reported no lingering pain two days later.
Though when the ball hit, he admitted, “95 straight to the hand never feels good.”
Culpepper would know — he’s been hit by six pitches this season.
Nearing the halfway point of his first Triple-A season, Culpepper is posting a .272/.376/.492 slash line heading into Saturday’s play, with an .868 OPS — nearly all career highs since being drafted in 2024. He was tied for the eighth-most runs in the International League (54), tied for the 16th-most homers (14) and tied for 28th in stolen bases (15).
“Our director of player development, he’s always constantly in communication with me, so I’m kind of always in the loop with things,” Culpepper said. “But they have a plan for me, and I’m just trying to stick with that plan, and that’s just getting healthy and feeling as great as I can, to be back on the field and playing every day.”
While the selection to the Futures Game alone is an honor, he’s excited for the game itself.
“An event like that, you just kind of take it all in,” Culpepper said. “You’re playing with the game’s best prospects on the biggest stage, and on a nice field.”
He’s eager to play with teammate Walker Jenkins. The two were roommates when he was first drafted.
“Being able to experience that with him is going to be awesome,” Culpepper said. “I’m really happy for him. He deserves it, he’s a hard worker, he’s a great person. He’s maybe more humble than I am. I love that kid to death, and he works his butt off, on and off the field. I’m really happy for him and his family to experience that.”
Culpepper grew up in Tennessee, where he admits baseball wasn’t the most competitive. He went to Georgia to get on the map, and while he had an opportunity to sign professionally after graduating high school, he wasn’t highly recruited. He’d commit to Kansas State University, where he says he proved himself as a freshman.
In his first year, he hit .283/.356/.428 with five homers and 27 runs. He slashed .328/.419/.574 with a .993 OPS, 11 homers and 50 runs in his junior year, before being picked 21st overall by the Twins in 2024.
“I try to stay grounded and stay humble,” Culpepper said. “But for the most part, I know whatever I earn, I’ve worked really hard for and I kind of just try to stay with that mindset throughout my career.”
He credits a “huge support system” for their support and motivation.
“It’s just a combination of all those things,” Culpepper said. “Knowing what I want to do, having a strong love for the game, wanting to be able to provide for them and change their lives.”
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