Wikipedia

Kaelen Culpepper

Kaelen Kenneth Culpepper (born December 29, 2002) is an American professional baseball infielder in the Minnesota Twins organization.

Kaelen Culpepper
Minnesota Twins
Infielder
Born: (2002-12-29) December 29, 2002 (age 23)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Amateur career

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Culpepper attended Saint Benedict at Auburndale in Cordova, Tennessee. As a senior, he hit .394 with six home runs, 30 runs batted in (RBI) and 13 stolen bases. He committed to Kansas State University to play college baseball.

Prior to his freshman season at Kansas State, he played for the Norwich Sea Unicorns of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League in 2021. As a freshman in 2022, he started 48 of 51 games at third base and hit .283/.356/.428 with five home runs and 22 RBI. After the season he played for the Bluefield Ridge Runners. As a sophomore in 2023, Culpepper started 40 games, hitting .325/.423/.576 with 10 home runs and 41 RBI.[1] After the season, he played for the United States national baseball team and in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Harwich Mariners.[2][3]

Culpepper entered his junior season in 2024 as a top prospect for the upcoming MLB draft.[4][5] He moved from third base to shortstop.[6][7] Culpepper played in 61 games and batted .328 with 11 home, 59 RBI, and 17 stolen bases.[8]

Professional career

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Culpepper was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the first round, with the 21st overall selection, of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft. On July 30, 2024, Culpepper signed with the Twins on a $3.9 million contract.[9]

Culpepper made his professional debut after signing with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels and was later promoted to the Cedar Rapids Kernels.[10] Over 26 games between both teams, he hit .242 with three home runs and 12 RBI. He was assigned to Cedar Rapids to open the 2025 season and was promoted to the Wichita Wind Surge in mid-June.[11] Culpepper was also selected to represent the Twins at the 2025 All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park.[12] Culpepper played in 113 games between Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids and hit .289 with 20 home runs, 64 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. The Twins named him their Minor League Player of the Year.[13] He was assigned to the St. Paul Saints to open the 2026 season.[14]

References

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  1. ↑ "K-State's Culpepper, Neighbors listed among top MLB draft prospects". The Mercury. 10 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Neighbors, Culpepper reflect on season, Team USA". WIBW 13. 3 August 2023.
  3. ↑ "Kaelen Culpepper". pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  4. ↑ "K-State's Culpepper projected as 1st round pick". The Mercury. 20 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "NEW: Top 100 Draft prospects for '24". MLB.com.
  6. ↑ "No. 28 Draft prospect Culpepper powers K-State in desert finale". MLB.com.
  7. ↑ "Kansas State's Kaelen Culpepper continues to shine bright". 247 Sports.
  8. ↑ https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/big-12/kansas-state/article290078084.html
  9. ↑ "Twins sign 2024 first-round pick Kaelen Culpepper to $3.9 million deal". si.com. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  10. ↑ https://www.thegazette.com/minor-league-sports/kaelen-culpeper-shows-his-first-round-ability-for-cedar-rapids-kernels/
  11. ↑ https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/prospect-reports/twins-promote-kaelen-culpepper-to-double-a/
  12. ↑ Leach, Matthew (2025-07-03). "Kaelen Culpepper, Twins' No. 4 prospect, named to 2025 Futures Game". MLB.com. Retrieved 2025-11-22.
  13. ↑ Lind, Andrew (October 2, 2025). "Former K-State baseball alum named Twins' Minor Leaguer of the Year". WIBW. Retrieved 2026-05-09.
  14. ↑ "Twins No. 2 prospect Culpepper celebrates Triple-A twin bill with pair of homers". MLB.com. Retrieved 2026-05-09.
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