A brand-new Culpepper era is fast approaching the Twin Cities

A brand-new Culpepper era is fast approaching the Twin Cities originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Minnesota Twins fans likely had to do a double-take when their team selected Kaelen Culpepper with the 21st overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Unfortunately, he is not related to the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, but he is still an incredible athlete.

He made a name for himself as a high school baseball player in Tennessee, where he hit .394 as a senior. That would catch the attention of Kansas State University, where he would go on to play his college ball.

By his junior year, he was one of the top prospects in the draft class, while also moving from third base to shortstop.

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A brand-new Culpepper era is fast approaching the Twin Cities

Coming into the 2026 season, Culpepper currently sits as the club's No. 2 prospect, right behind outfielder Walker Jenkins. What sets him apart from other prospects is his ability at the plate.

He punishes fastballs and has an impressive in-zone contact rate, but if he really wants to stick in the big leagues, he will have to cut down his groundball rate.

And despite some other players likely more in tune to be called up this season, MLB Pipeline sees a world where Minnesota keeps Walker Jenkins down and calls up Culpepper.

"Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez could also play their way to the other Twin City. But given the time and reps missed by those outfielders because of various injuries, they could get more time in Triple-A. Culpepper, the club's first-round pick in 2024, is on the fast track, performing well across High-A and Double-A in his first full season and making the jump to the highest level this year."

Culpepper could be a versatile option for the club, giving players like Royce Lewis a chance to rest. He could be utilized at third base, shortstop, and second base, giving the club more options.

If Minnesota wants to be a contender this year, it will have to keep its core healthy, and having a versatile option could help ensure they do just that.

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