Twins rookie Kaelen Culpepper wants his raw tools to shine over the season’s final month. It's how he can set the stage for a 2027 in which his full skill set will be on display.
“The first month has gone by kind of quick,” quipped Kaelen Culpepper before Sunday night’s matchup against the Chicago White Sox. The 23-year-old isn’t wrong. On August 7, he walked into the visiting team’s clubhouse in Milwaukee, hours before first pitch. That feels like forever ago, right? I’m sure most of you reading this article remember where you were when he took Brewers starting pitcher Shane Drohan deep in his second major-league plate appearance. Time (as it's known to do) has flown by, however, and 100 plate appearances into his major-league career, Culpepper has become one of Minnesota’s most productive position players.
“It was nice, man,” Culpepper said of hitting second in the Twins lineup Saturday, for the first time since his contract was selected early last month. “You know what I mean? I hit leadoff and second a lot in the minors. So being back in the two-hole, it’s kind of, you know, allowed me to reminisce a little bit. But I felt pretty comfortable—felt right at home again.”
And right at home he was, going 2-for-5, including an RBI double in the top of the seventh inning that served as an insurance run for the club’s 6-4 comeback win over Chicago. Culpepper’s success extends far beyond Saturday night’s late-inning heroics. Over 100 plate appearances, the rookie has hit .297/.350/.451 with five doubles, three home runs, and a 133 wRC+. His underlying metrics support his strong start at the plate; he's shown great bat speed and some good contact skills.
“I just want to be quick in general.” Culpepper said. “I want the main thing that I’m known for is my hands. I feel like word is getting out pretty nice, but yeah, it’s always been a thing for me.”
Word is, in fact, getting out, particularly with his past two home runs coming off fastball variants in on his hands. He pulled this homer on a 93-MPH sinker from West Sacramento Athletics starting pitcher J.T. Ginn on August 26:
The bat speed remains unexpectedly eye-popping, averaging out at 73.7 MPH. That's the third-quickest swing on the active roster, sitting behind only Ryan Kreidler (74) and Royce Lewis (75.2). His quick hands have translated at shortstop, too, helping him net 0 Outs Above Average (OAA) over 203 innings played at the position.
“I played some really good defense in the minors, and I want that to translate," he said. "I know there have been some hiccups up here, but like, I’m young in my career. So, every day I’m working to make those routine plays: make the hard plays look easy.”
On the surface, a 0 OAA isn’t remarkable, but it's a meaningful improvement over what the club was getting from Brooks Lee (-6 OAA) and Tristan Gray (-7 OAA) in the season’s first half. He’s not the defensive shortstop Kreidler is (2 OAA), but there’s reason to believe he could quickly become a plus defender at the position if he can continue expanding his range while leaning on his plus arm.
“[I’m] working with Ramon [Borrego] every day, man," said the rookie. "I mean, we’re always grinding, working on something new, working on things that I’ve been working on the last year-and-a-half or so.”
Top prospect Marek Houston projects to be a better defensive shortstop than Culpepper. Yet, he isn’t expected to reach the parent club until mid- to late 2027 or early 2028, depending on his ability to hit Triple-A pitching. Culpepper will probably be Minnesota’s full-time starting shortstop next season, making his development at the position vital to the club’s success early next season. Until then, the top prospect wants to finish his 2026 campaign on the field.
“I wanna stay healthy. You know what I mean? I want to stay on the field. Continue playing every day—producing well," Culpepper said. "I’m feeling healthy. I haven’t had any issues (with my hip) since I came off the IL, so I’m good, I’m clean. Just trying to grind it out.”
Which team do you dislike the most in the AL Central?
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