Fort Myers – Kaelen Culpepper is soaking in every minute of his first big league spring training. The Minnesota Twins included him as one of their 26 non-roster invitees for spring training 2026, an honor that Culpepper earned following his first full season in pro ball, where he became the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year.
Culpepper slashed .289/.375/.469 with 20 home runs, 64 RBI, 25 stolen bases, a 9.7% walk rate, and 17.4% strikeout rate over 517 plate appearances between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita. However, after being a consistently hot hitter for the first four months of the season, Culpepper slumped in August and September, with a .223/.313/.377 slash line over his final 147 plate appearances on the year.
He wanted to address the slump in the off-season and did everything he could to build his endurance for what he hopes will be a longer season in 2026.
“[i was] staying locked in because every rep matters, every pitch matters, every play matters,” Culpepper said on his off-season routine. “So just making sure I’m focused on every play and things like that. That’s going to help me take the next step, and like I said, it’s just continuing to do what I need to do. Being consistent with everything.”
And what better way for Culpepper to work on building up his endurance than spending the off-season working out with veteran Twins like Royce Lewis and Taj Bradley?
The trio, along with pitching prospect Marco Raya, was under the instruction of Stephen Hawkins, the St. Paul Saints' strength and conditioning coach. Hawkins has been a common sight in spring training, leading warm-up drills and stretches at the start of each day for the Twins hitters.
It was an excellent experience for Culpepper ahead of camp. Spending time with Bradley and Lewis helped him adjust to some of the new things that would come up during his first big league spring training.
“We just kept pushing each other,” said Lewis. “We had a great time, and Kaelen and I were the only hitters, so we’d go hit together after. Took ground balls maybe one time, and it was indoors, so really short.”
Still, it was a valuable experience for Culpepper.
“You kind of expect a lot from them, especially them being like the face of MLB and guys like that, high-level players and stuff like that,” Culpepper added. “It helped out a lot. I think I salvaged my routine, and they helped me do that, and I thank those guys, but those are incredible people.”
Lewis didn’t really take Culpepper under his wing as a fellow infielder so much as he wanted to keep the energy high for his teammates during these workouts. It’s rare to go a day in Minnesota's clubhouse without Lewis bringing positive energy, and presenting that to a young athlete like Culpepper showcased how Lewis wants to bring out the best in all his teammates.
“We try to bring out the best in everybody and try to have a high energy for these guys because the older you get, the energy tends to get a bit lower,” said Lewis.
“Just like your dog, man, when your dog is one or two years old, he’s a puppy that high energy, then all of a sudden, 10, 11,12, he’s starting to cool down a little bit. Be more chill. So, I’m trying to keep that high energy level up as high as I can for as long as I can, and hopefully these guys feed off that energy.”
Culpepper is all but guaranteed to begin the 2026 season making his Triple-A debut with the St. Paul Saints in Indianapolis. He’ll be a part of what looks to be one of the most stacked middle of the order in the International League with fellow top prospects Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez.
The expectations will still be high for him as the season gets underway. However, he has built better endurance after his first full season in pro ball and has received the guidance he needed from veteran teammates. Culpepper is ready to show that the best parts of his game are about to begin.
“I definitely got more in the tank,” Culpepper said. “I’m just excited to get back out there and play another season of baseball, and show what I can do and show the things I improved on in the off-season.”
And Lewis saw enough in the workouts to believe he’ll break into the majors this year.
“He’s a hard worker, a great kid,” said Lewis, “and I really look forward to seeing him in the future because he’s probably going to be joining us shortly at some point.”
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