Thursday, October 23

Kaelen Culpepper can hit. He can just flat-out rake. Whether you want to look at production or tools, a stat sheet or a scouting report, there’s just very little that the Twins’ 2024 first-round pick and current No. 2 prospect can’t do in the batters’ box.

He hit in college, propelling himself from an undrafted and lightly recruited high school player to a first-round pick after his junior year. He hit in wood bat summer leagues. He hit in his first taste of pro ball last year, and he hit so well across two levels this year -- in his first full pro season -- that he was named the Twins’ Minor League hitter of the year.

 
Even upon making the midseason jump from High-A to Double-A, once considered the toughest leap other than from Triple-A to the Majors, Culpepper just kept hitting. Frankly, he doesn’t see any reason why that shouldn’t have been the case. 

“I don’t really look at it as there being a big jump,” Culpepper said late in the season at Double-A Wichita. “I mean, there is the age gap and stuff like that. The competition here is pristine. Guys are more polished, more mature. But when it comes to the skill gap, it’s pretty similar. It’s still baseball. Baseball is hard. It’s not meant to be easy. If it was, everybody would do it. But I just look at it as two leagues, big leagues and the Minor Leagues.” 

That mindset makes the Twins' decision-makers smile, but then a lot about Culpepper’s approach to his craft tends to have that effect. Culpepper has the rare combination of a broad base of skills, immense confidence in those skills, and the desire to keep constantly refining them that marks special ballplayers. 

“Incredibly impressive human being,” said Twins director of player development Drew MacPhail. 

Following his professional debut in 2024, Culpepper set out to get better. He worked to add bat speed, and according to a club official, he did just that -- ticking his swing speed up by about three miles per hour. Then he maintained that throughout the season, and it showed in his results.  

Culpepper maintained his ability to hit for average and control the strike zone, while the power that had been expected, showed up as well.  

“He’s confident in his abilities and also willing to work hard, and I think those are two traits that are going to take guys a long way,” said Bryce Berg, the organization’s Minor League hitting coordinator. 

Now it’s a matter of refinement. Culpepper generally maintains an excellent strike zone -- he drew 50 walks and struck out 90 times this year. But because he has so much pure bat-to-ball ability, he still has some tendency to chase pitches outside of the hitting zone -- because he can usually hit them.

It’s a fine adjustment. The idea isn’t to make him passive, just to ensure that he’s turning his impressive ability to hit the ball on the best pitches. And again, he walks the line between well earned confidence and a willingness to listen to feedback. 

“Hitters hit, you know what I mean?” Culpepper said. “I consider myself a hitter. A very good hitter. So I’m always going to want to hit pitches [a little off the plate], so I’m going to chase a little bit. It’s OK to chase as long as you’re not chasing too much. Sometimes I find myself chasing a little too much and I’ve got to get back to being patient, seeing the ball deep, trusting my hands.” 

Culpepper will likely be in Major League camp this spring. And though he’ll be a very long shot to make the roster, there will be plenty of eyes on him. It’s a position not dissimilar to where Luke Keaschall found himself a year ago.  

Drafted one year ahead of Culpepper, Keaschall also reached High-A in his first pro season, then split his first full pro season between High-A and Double-A, putting up big numbers with a well-rounded profile at both levels. The Twins would obviously prefer to avoid some of the circumstances that led to Keaschall’s early arrival, but it’s not difficult to envision him thriving early at Triple-A and forcing a decision sooner than later. 

Whatever challenges the upcoming season brings, the Twins are confident he’ll handle them. 

“It’s a special combination of confidence, and I think that comes from a level of preparedness, and then openness to feedback and improving,” said MacPhail. “That’s a rare combo, that I think he has both in an incredibly healthy amount.” 

The Arizona Fall League is under way, and you can watch AFL games live on MLB.com. Visit the AFL homepage for all kinds of coverage of “baseball’s finishing school.” My friend and colleague Jonathan Mayo wrote up an overview of Twins prospects in the AFL this year, and you can check it out here.  

The Twins made a couple of small transactions this past week. They claimed infielder/outfielder Ryan Kreidler off waivers from the Pirates and released reliever Matt Mikulski. 

Kreidler, who turns 28 next month, has appeared in four Major League seasons with the Tigers, posting a .138/.208/.176 batting line in 211 plate appearances. He’s played second base, third base, shortstop, left field and center field in that time.  

Mikulski, a left-hander, was at High-A Cedar Rapids, He was the player acquired in the trade that sent Carlos Correa to Houston. 

Sir Paul McCartney came to the Twin Cities on Friday, and in his honor, here are five of my favorites from his legendary career. 

“We Can Work It Out” 
“Oh! Darling” 
“Golden Slumbers” medley (If this is cheating, I don’t care.) 
“Live and Let Die” 
“Maybe I’m Amazed” 

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