Twins Daily 2026 Top Prospects: #2 Kaelen Culpepper, SS

[Lou Hennessy]

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

Kaelen Culpepper
Bats: R / Throws: R
Age: 23
Stats in 2025: (High-A, Double A) 517 PA, .289/.375/.469, 16 2B, 3 3B, 20 HR, 25 SB 
Rule 5 Eligible: After 2027 Season
ETA: Late 2026 
2025 Ranking: 3

National Top 100 Rankings
BP: 71 | MLB: 52 | ATH: 82 | BA: 74 | ESPN: 79

It’s easy to see the upside that the Twins banked on when they selected Culpepper with the 21st overall pick in the 2024 draft. He was coming off of a fantastic campaign with the Kansas State Wildcats where he flashed plus speed, slick fielding and some noticeable pop. And after his first full season of professional ball, that vision of a high performing middle infielder has become even clearer. Culpepper started the 2025 season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, where he raked to the tune of an .864 OPS (147 wRC+) while displaying his acrobatic defense calling card. It took just 54 games for the Twins to determine that it was time for Culpepper to face steeper competition at the Double A level, and the shortstop continued to deliver with the Wichita Wind Surge. His performance earned him a selection to the MLB Futures Game, where he shared the field with the game’s other top prospects. He’s likely to begin his 2026 campaign in Double A, but if he maintains this blistering pace while refining his offensive approach, he could make the case for a promotion to the Twin Cities in short order. 

What to Like
Culpepper’s profile is certainly enticing, especially when you consider the question marks surrounding the top of the organization’s depth chart at the shortstop position. In fact, his strengths so far in his young career seem to counter the weaknesses of Brooks Lee, the presumed starting shortstop for the Twins.

Culpepper has shown strong defensive range up the middle thanks to his plus speed and highlight reel-worthy athleticism–something Lee has struggled to develop. A future at the shortstop position is certainly possible given his 60-grade arm, but even if he requires a move to a new defensive home at some point, there’s confidence that he could be a strong everyday second or third baseman. 

Culpepper also tapped into some power that wasn’t necessarily a given when the Twins drafted him a year prior. He popped 20 home runs in 113 games played in 2025, leading to a very strong .469 slugging percentage. That’s a 28-homer pace across 162 games, which is something Lee never displayed at any level in his career. And while it’s unrealistic to expect that sort of powerful production from KC as he continues to develop, it’s going to be hard to forget that he flashed this type of in-game pop while still adding size and strength as a 22-year-old. 

And even if that strength dips, a strong defensive middle infielder with 15-20 home run power and plus speed on the base paths would make him an extremely valuable commodity. 

What to Work On
While Culpepper was still able to make a decent amount of contact with his swings, evaluators are worried about his penchant to chase out of the strike zone. This mostly comes from a lack of breaking ball recognition, especially on sliders low and out of the zone. Like Lee, Culpepper has good enough bat-to-ball skills that he’s able to reach down and make contact with pitches below the zone, but there’s a reason we didn’t mention this in the “what to like” portion of his write-up. He was able to get away with this at the collegiate level, but that flaw is only going to get further exacerbated as he faces steeper competition. If Culpepper isn’t able to make an adjustment for this part of his offensive skillset, it’s hard to project him as a plus hitter at the game’s top level. But evaluators are willing to give him the opportunity to improve in this regard before writing him off, given his clear high-end talent. 

Culpepper has shown enough to suggest he’ll continue to be viewed as a starting caliber shortstop, but scouts don’t seem to love his quick-twitch reaction on hard hit balls. This could be due to his pre-pitch setup, which is something that can certainly be adjusted and improved with time. But if he can’t stick up the middle, his bat profile might not be a great fit at the hot corner. Are these warts enough for him to not be considered the best shortstop prospect in the system? Probably not, but last year’s first round pick, Marek Houston, was the clear-cut best collegiate shortstop in his draft class and may be hot on his heels.

What to Look For in 2026
Culpepper is going to be one of the must-see youngsters in the Twins’ system, and a couple good breaks could find him making his MLB debut by the end of the season. It’s certainly not a lock to happen since he only has about two months of experience in the upper levels of the minor leagues. But he held his own in that time, slashing a strong .285/.367/.460 (129 wRC+) against competition that was roughly two years older on average. 

Say he starts the year back with Double-A Wichita and continues to display strong defense while maintaining that level of offensive production, a promotion to Triple-A St. Paul could come along pretty quickly, and then it’s mostly a matter of opportunity that would determine his call to the Twins. The Twins aren’t going to rush him to the big leagues as some sort of knight in shining armor, ready to propel them back into contention. But anything can happen for a top prospect in their early-20s, who is healthy, performing, and making necessary adjustments to their game. 
 

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[MinnInPa]

lack of breaking ball recognition ?? sounds like the entire team..he'll fit right in

[HrbieFan]

Having spent 6 days at camp, I believe Culpepper is our best option at SS right now. His range is superior to Lee, his arm looks better than Lee's and his bat has been far better than Lee.  Maybe I'm being too hard on Brooks, but he looks like a super utility guy and not a MLB starting SS

[jmlease1]

He did everything you could really ask of a prospect in his first full season of pro ball. Earned his promotion up to AA and kept on playing well. Probably got a little worn down as the season went along, so it'll be interesting to see if he can build up his strength and stamina without losing the speed.

The defense was better than advertised in 2025, so I'll start worrying about his ability to stick at SS when he shows he can't. He's got the arm and speed to be good there, and he can improve his positioning with experience.

Be interesting to see how he does in laying off breaking balls out of the zone this year. If he starts tightening that up it will bode well for his future. I expect to see him in AAA this season.

[Linus]

KC is an important prospect for the Twins. If he can’t play legit SS in the bigs the Twins will either spend lots of money or trade capital to solve this problem. With his strong arm he should be able to play a little deeper ala Correa which helps his range. Here’s hoping….

[Jeff K]

He needs to start the season with St. Paul.  I really hope they don't dump him back at AA

[rdehring]

Keep thinking that Houston is the guy with the defense I want to see playing at Target Field.  Reading this report has me thinking KC could/should be that guy.  He's got very good D and a bat!  Will he arrive later this summer?  

[TJSweens]

Culpepper starting in Double A makes no sense. He played over half a season there and played well. I've seen him make some really outstanding plays down here in spring training. The breaking pitches he needs to see to make his adjustments are in Triple A. 

Culpepper already fields SS a lot better than Lee. His bat couldn't be any worse. Start him in St. Paul and have him ready to cross the river at a moment's notice.

[Senior Softball Guy]

Nobody chased out of zone breaking balls more than Greg Gagne. He had a nice career here. And Greg was fast, but rarely stole bases.

[mikelink45]

Pressure on Brooks Lee with Culpepper and then Houston stacking up behind him. 

[Cris E]

Let him see high quality breaking stuff in St Paul, let him fail a little and recover, and then bring him up. No sense making that readjustment period harder than necessary. And there's always the chance that he doesn't adjust and he get dismantled in AAA. Let the process work, our SS is not the last piece of a championship team.

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, mikelink45 said:

Pressure on Brooks Lee with Culpepper and then Houston stacking up behind him. 

Until Houston shows his bat is more useful than a noodle, he's not putting all that much pressure on anyone.

[LambchoP]

Hopefully he starts at AAA and keeps hitting like he has. A young controllable SS who has 20/20 potential and can hit for AVG would be HUGE!

[DocBauer]

I didn't like his selection initially as every write-up seemed to offer up enough questions that made him sound very unexciting. There were other options I liked better.

Post draft, I suddenly started to read more about his speed, athleticism, and decent power potential than questions about such. It was then I discovered that the reason he didn't play SS until his junior season was K State had an upperclassman already locked in there. And then he goes out and has an outstanding 2025 to support the more optimistic post draft reports I came across.

Houston's defense looks special. He's previously shown a good eye and good discipline at the plate, to go along with nice speed and good base running. He doesn't have to be a great hitter to be a real asset. So it's possible that he supplants Culpepper as the #1 SS no matter how well KC plays the position.

Better defense and improved offense from Lee would be a very good thing. It allows him to still have a nice future elsewhere in the INF, or as a nice super utility player. Even still, K-Pepper should be a defensive improvement, even should he prove to be the temporary #1 in the event Houston's bat plays. 

Im not saying Culpepper can't be a quality ML SS. I'm just saying he's talented and exciting and more than likely an upgrade over Lee. And he's got an exciting future even IF his final position turns out to be 2B or 3B because Houston develops as hoped and brings his outstanding glove to Minnesota. 

He's going to be a starter, and a good one, somewhere in the Twins INF

[Bodie]

2 hours ago, Senior Softball Guy said:

Nobody chased out of zone breaking balls more than Greg Gagne. He had a nice career here. And Greg was fast, but rarely stole bases.

Not a shortstop, but a guy named Torii something-or-another had a big appetite for low *out of the zone* sliders. Caused him indigestion for 20 or so ML seasons...

[JADBP]

3 hours ago, DocBauer said:

I didn't like his selection initially as every write-up seemed to offer up enough questions that made him sound very unexciting. There were other options I liked better.

Post draft, I suddenly started to read more about his speed, athleticism, and decent power potential than questions about such. It was then I discovered that the reason he didn't play SS until his junior season was K State had an upperclassman already locked in there. And then he goes out and has an outstanding 2025 to support the more optimistic post draft reports I came across.

Houston's defense looks special. He's previously shown a good eye and good discipline at the plate, to go along with nice speed and good base running. He doesn't have to be a great hitter to be a real asset. So it's possible that he supplants Culpepper as the #1 SS no matter how well KC plays the position.

Better defense and improved offense from Lee would be a very good thing. It allows him to still have a nice future elsewhere in the INF, or as a nice super utility player. Even still, K-Pepper should be a defensive improvement, even should he prove to be the temporary #1 in the event Houston's bat plays. 

Im not saying Culpepper can't be a quality ML SS. I'm just saying he's talented and exciting and more than likely an upgrade over Lee. And he's got an exciting future even IF his final position turns out to be 2B or 3B because Houston develops as hoped and brings his outstanding glove to Minnesota. 

He's going to be a starter, and a good one, somewhere in the Twins INF

There are some really interesting twists to this analysis.  Twins top draft pics, for the last 4 years, have been:

2022: Brooks Lee, SS

2023: Walker Jenkins, OF

2024:  Kaleen Culpepper, SS

2025:  Marek Houston, SS

And, in 2026, it is almost a lock that the Twins will draft another college SS with the 3rd pick.  Most mock drafts taking Justin Lebron, another SS!  He has Scouting grades of: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 60 | Arm: 60 | Field: 60 | Overall: 60.  In fact, he might go 2nd in the draft.

OK, so we only get to put one SS on the field at a time.  Lee is undoubtedly going to be pushed out but he's likely at 2B, 1B or Utility.  Kaleen would be next on the hot seat until Marek, by far the best fielder of the lot coming but seemingly the poorest hitter of the bunch. 

If the Twins do draft Justin Lebron, he would displace them all, but he's probably at least 2-3 years away.  If he improves his hit tool, he is a legit 5-tool player at SS.  

So, given this abundance of SS, WHEN DO WE START MOVING THEM to other positions? Maybe see how KC does at 2B?  Or Marek?  

Keaschall might have a lock on 2B now, but he is probably better at 1B or in the OF (which is even more crowded!).  I doubt that any of these guys will displace Royce if he remembers how to hit for average and power. 

I just don't see how all of these pieces fit together.  We draft some some highly graded players but then what happens?  Royce forgets how to hit.  Larnach and Wallner forget hot to hit and field (or maybe they were never that good in the first place?).  Lee seems to forget everything.  

So, while this roster construction is a confused mess, both IF and OF, there seems to be one key missing element: what do the Twins do with these top draft choices between draft day and their first day in the biggs?  There seems to be a huge deficit in training, education, conditioning, coaching, etc.  We just can't seem to turn elite draft pics into stars.  I contend our last success was Buxton and probably Joe Ryan.  As a small market team, it is critically important that we maximize the contributions from these top draft picks.  What are the Twins so consistently bad at this? 

I sure hope the new management improves this critical failure.

[DocBauer]

9 minutes ago, JADBP said:

There are some really interesting twists to this analysis.  Twins top draft pics, for the last 4 years, have been:

2022: Brooks Lee, SS

2023: Walker Jenkins, OF

2024:  Kaleen Culpepper, SS

2025:  Marek Houston, SS

And, in 2026, it is almost a lock that the Twins will draft another college SS with the 3rd pick.  Most mock drafts taking Justin Lebron, another SS!  He has Scouting grades of: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 60 | Arm: 60 | Field: 60 | Overall: 60.  In fact, he might go 2nd in the draft.

OK, so we only get to put one SS on the field at a time.  Lee is undoubtedly going to be pushed out but he's likely at 2B, 1B or Utility.  Kaleen would be next on the hot seat until Marek, by far the best fielder of the lot coming but seemingly the poorest hitter of the bunch. 

If the Twins do draft Justin Lebron, he would displace them all, but he's probably at least 2-3 years away.  If he improves his hit tool, he is a legit 5-tool player at SS.  

So, given this abundance of SS, WHEN DO WE START MOVING THEM to other positions? Maybe see how KC does at 2B?  Or Marek?  

Keaschall might have a lock on 2B now, but he is probably better at 1B or in the OF (which is even more crowded!).  I doubt that any of these guys will displace Royce if he remembers how to hit for average and power. 

I just don't see how all of these pieces fit together.  We draft some some highly graded players but then what happens?  Royce forgets how to hit.  Larnach and Wallner forget hot to hit and field (or maybe they were never that good in the first place?).  Lee seems to forget everything.  

So, while this roster construction is a confused mess, both IF and OF, there seems to be one key missing element: what do the Twins do with these top draft choices between draft day and their first day in the biggs?  There seems to be a huge deficit in training, education, conditioning, coaching, etc.  We just can't seem to turn elite draft pics into stars.  I contend our last success was Buxton and probably Joe Ryan.  As a small market team, it is critically important that we maximize the contributions from these top draft picks.  What are the Twins so consistently bad at this? 

I sure hope the new management improves this critical failure.

Totally understand where you're coming from, but if we ever truly have too many talented INF I would gladly accept that burden.

But just for giggles, think about Lebron at 3B, Houston at SS, Culpepper at 2B, and Keaschall at 1B. Or Keaschall in LF/CF. Or Keaschall being an every day player who could play multiple positions. Lee might end up a 4 position super utility player.

If Houston's bat never comes around? An INf of Culpepper, Lebron, Keaschall, and Houston is a glove first, good speed utility player. Maybe Lee remains that super utility option with Houston.

Lewis could be a smart move to 1B in a couple of years. But then again, considering his agent, will he be in a Twins uniform after 2028 if his bat takes off?

[bunsen82]

Culpepper has done everything right since joining the organization.  The defense is better than advertised,  the bat is better than advertised.  At this point I am fine with seasoning Lee and seeing if he can either find a position at a different spot - maybe 3rd,  utility.     At this point I see Houston as a slightly better bat than Noah Miller unless he can improve like Culpepper did this last year.  If Culpepper can play a legit shortstop and have an elite bat for the position we are onto something.  

I guess I am less concerned about his bat than most.   

Interesting fact - Stephen Hawkins worked out Lewis, Raya, Bradley and Culpepper this offseason.  We will see we can see any improvements on the field with those 4.  

[DJL44]

2 hours ago, bunsen82 said:

Interesting fact - Stephen Hawkins worked out Lewis, Raya, Bradley and Culpepper this offseason.  We will see we can see any improvements on the field with those 4.  

[Greglw3]

Culpepper oozes talent. My comp for him would be Tim Anderson of the White Sox in Anderson’s prime.

[hotshotschamp]

Ive been buying Culpepper auto rookie PSA 10 cards....

The last Twins rookie I did this with was Kiriloff......lets hope it turns out better.

[bean5302]

Culpepper projects as a below average MLB bat based on his performance in AA (which was good, but hardly exciting for the level). It's a big year for him, and I can't imagine him not starting off in AAA. He's also had a good spring. If he's able to produce at a similar clip in St. Paul, it'll go a long way to easing my concerns.