Kaelen Culpepper Is Off To A Fast Start In Triple-A

There was little question that the Minnesota Twins' No. 2 prospect, Kaelen Culpepper, would begin his 2026 season in Triple-A. Once it became official earlier in the week, the reigning Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year is now just a step away from the big leagues, after a breakout performance last season.

As a reward for his 2025 performance, Kaelen Culpepper spent the first half of spring training in big league camp, and he hit .289/.375/.469 with 20 home runs, 64 RBI, and 25 stolen bases over 113 games. However, during his first full season in pro ball, Culpepper experienced a decline in performance during his last two months. Still, being in big league camp has helped him learn from veterans how to maintain his endurance all year.

“I think it went well, especially starting out in big league camp. Learned a lot, was around some veteran guys, got some intake, got a lot of advice from the staff and everything,” Culpepper said in St. Paul on Wednesday. “I’m just ready for the season, ready to have fun, and just continue my journey to the bigs.”

The Twins were intentional with which veteran they wanted him and teammate Walker Jenkins to be around in the locker room this spring. They put Culpepper’s locker right next to Byron Buxton’s, and the rising prospect didn’t waste a second he could get with him in camp.

“I picked his brain a lot,” he said. “He shared a lot of things with me, and I did the same. I felt like we had a lot in common. Both hard workers. We love having fun with the game, and he just told me how it is up there, what I need to do to get there. So I was going to listen to that, he’s a great guy to listen to.”

Despite his end-of-season drop off when he hit .223/.313/.377 with just five home runs and 12 RBI, Kaelen Culpepper is not too worried about his offensive production for the upcoming season. He joked that he spends ‘too many swings’ in the cages, and the results of that paid off Friday night for the Saints' first game of the season, when he went 3-for-5 with an RBI and run scored.

“I take a lot of swings,” he said. “The coaching staff, they know that. Sometimes they have to drag me out of the cages and stuff, but for the most part, swing is feeling amazing right now. I’m just ready to put it to work during the season, so I’m just ready for Game 1.”

Culpepper’s focus for improvement this year is on his defense. Last year, he committed 13 errors in 95 games at shortstop, far more than he found acceptable. In response, Culpepper is doing everything he can to be dependable at the position; cover more range, take the right amount of time to make throws, and make smart decisions with runners on base.

“At times last year, I felt like I wasn’t really locked in every play,” said Culpepper. “This year, going into spring training, that was a huge focus, and I feel amazing, way better than last year in years past. I just want to show I can be a big league shortstop for years to come.”

“He is a great talent and can do a little bit of everything on a baseball field,” said new Saints manager Brian Dinkelman. “We’re excited to have him here to start the season with us, just to have him continue to grow his baseball knowledge and instincts of the game.”

With a lot of hype and noise around Culpepper’s prospect status and his future as the answer to Minnesota's long-term shortstop question, he’s done all he can to tune out the noise and just focus on himself. The pressure is likely only to increase now that he’s in St. Paul and just a call away from the majors. Therefore, Culpepper intends to keep carrying himself as he always has and not let the pressure increase because of his proximity to the big leagues.

“There is pressure, but I’ve learned to not really think about that,” he said. “I just go out there and play my game because it’s what got me drafted, it’s why I’m here. It’s hard work, so I’m not really too deep on being a high draft pick because I still worked hard. I had to earn that. That wasn’t really given to me, so I just kind of look at it like that.”

Dinkelman said that Culpepper has had a professional approach in St. Paul.

“He’s very cool in his demeanour, and how he carries himself on the ballfield,” he said. “So we’ll get him out there and hopefully get him out to a good start, just continue his progression to the big leagues.”

Culpepper’s timeline for being called up could happen within the next month or not until the summer. Either way, he’s put himself in a position to make his MLB debut this season and accomplish a lifelong dream.

The Twins will benefit from his skills at shortstop long-term. Still, it won’t keep him from putting in the work he needs to make that call happen sooner rather than later.

“Just have competitive at-bats, just go out there and stay healthy, continue to play great defense,” said Kaelen Culpepper. “Just hit, they believe I can hit. So I’m not really too worried about that. But the main thing is stay healthy and play a full 150, 160 games that I’m going to be playing.”