Anatomy of an At-Bat: Kaelen Culpepper Bests Jhoan Duran

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

On Sunday, the Twins had watched a five-run lead disappear, and they were staring at a two-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning. Waiting on the mound was All-Star and former Twin Jhoan Duran, making Minnesota’s path back into the game even more difficult.

With one out, Victor Caratini coaxed a six-pitch walk to bring the tying run to the plate. Kaelen Culpepper was the next man up, and the rookie had at least a little recent history with Duran to draw from. Culpepper faced him in Thursday's Field of Dreams Game and lined a single into the outfield.

Maybe that familiarity helped. Whatever the reason, Culpepper looked completely comfortable, in a spot where plenty of hitters would have been overwhelmed. This was not a quick at-bat. It was not a mistake from Duran that handed Culpepper an easy opportunity. In a full-fledged battle, the rookie refused to give in.

Duran opened the at-bat with exactly what everyone expected: velocity. His first pitch was a 98.1-MPH splinker; Culpepper fouled it away. Duran then dropped a 90.3-MPH knuckle-curve into the dirt, but Culpepper did not chase, evening the count at 1-1. The third pitch was another splinker, this one at 97.7 MPH. Culpepper swung through it, putting himself in a difficult 1-2 hole.

Against most pitchers, that might have been the beginning of the end. Against Duran, it is an especially dangerous position. Opponents are 7-for-49 with 34 strikeouts after falling behind 1-2 against Duran this season. Culpepper, however, had no interest in making the at-bat easy.

Duran went back to his splinker on pitch No. 4, throwing it 99.1 MPH. Culpepper got a piece of it and fouled it away. Duran tried the same pitch again on pitch No. 5, this time at 98. Another foul ball. Pitch No. 6 was another splinker at 98.8, and once again, Culpepper spoiled it. Three straight pitches. Three straight fouls.

At that point, Culpepper had turned a 1-2 count into a battle of attrition. Duran was throwing some of the hardest pitches any hitter will see, and the rookie was simply staying alive.

The burly righty finally changed speeds. The seventh pitch was a 90.9-MPH sweeper, well below the velocity Culpepper had just been battling. But it also strayed outside the strike zone, and Culpepper correctly laid off. The count was now even at 2-2.

Duran went right back to the splinker on pitch No. 8, this one at 99.2 MPH. Culpepper fouled it off again. That was four consecutive foul balls after falling behind 1-2, and five foul balls overall in the at-bat. Duran had thrown everything at him. Culpepper kept finding a way to stay in the box.

By the ninth pitch, there was little mystery about what Duran was going to try to do. He went back to his splinker and unleashed it at 99.7 MPH. Culpepper finally won the battle. He got the barrel on the pitch, but the result was hardly clean. The rookie broke his bat, but the resulting ground ball snuck through the infield, giving Culpepper a hard-earned single and putting two runners on base. The Twins suddenly had a legitimate chance to tie the game.

It was an impressive conclusion to perhaps the best at-bat of Culpepper's young career. The rookie didn't beat Duran on a glaring mistake. He just pulled the hands in and got enough lumber on a two-strike pitch to stir some trouble.

Short of learning about the speed of the game defensively during his Aug. 7 debut, Culpepper has not looked out of place since being promoted to Minnesota. There will undoubtedly be adjustments ahead, particularly with his 31.0% strikeout rate, but he continues to show flashes of why the Twins viewed him as an important part of their future. Culpepper reached base twice more Sunday and is now batting .250/.345/.417.

The ninth-inning at-bat against Duran was particularly encouraging because of how much was required from him, and because of the stakes. According to win probability, the at-bat raised Minnesota's chances of winning by 10%. It also put two runners on base for Ryan Jeffers and Byron Buxton.

Neither could finish the comeback, as both hitters struck out to end the game. Still, Culpepper's at-bat provided something the Twins desperately needed in that moment: a reason to believe. After watching a five-run lead disappear and then facing one of baseball's most overpowering relievers, the rookie kept battling until he finally found a way to reach base.

"We're just kind of looking for that spark right now," Josh Bell said after the loss, in a dejected clubhouse in which Bell and others nonetheless insisted that the vibes remain good. For the Twins, Culpepper's fight against Duran could be the kind of moment that sparks something better moving forward.

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What stood out about Culpepper’s at-bat? What are realistic expectations for him during the remainder of the season? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[PuckettPond]

He will play a great 2nd base when Houston comes to town. Remember only true Twin's fans drink Hamm's beer. 

[jkcarew]

If the bat didn’t give way in that photo, Culpepper’s hands would still be vibrating. Ouch!

[RpR]

He fouled off pitches that were balls rather than take the chance and stand there watching strike 3 go by.

He has a future. Now he has to show he does not have an iron glove.

[PuckettPond]

Alex Jackson is back where he belongs. Twins will go deep in the playoffs.