Minnesota Twins Promote Recent Draft Pick to Double-A After Hot Start

It hasn't even been a year since the Minnesota Twins selected Kansas State shortstop Kaelen Culpepper with the No. 21 overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft.

Now, with the first half of his first full pro season in the books, Culpepper is on the move.

The Twins promoted him Friday from High-A Cedar Rapids to Double-A Wichita. It's a promotion well earned after the 22-year-old compiled a slash line of .293/.385/.479/.864 in 54 games.

He split 26 games last season between Single-A Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids. Now, in 80 pro games, the 22-year-old Culpepper is batting .277 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs with 19 stolen bases.

The 6-footer is the No. 4 prospect in the Twins' system, as ranked by MLB Pipeline, which said this about Culpepper:

"Culpepper entered pro ball with a reputation as having a very disciplined hit-over-power approach, and he lived up to it during his stop with Single-A Fort Myers. He makes a ton of contact and uses the entire field with outstanding bat speed. That plus his natural strength point to the chance for solid power, though he's been content thus far using his flat swing to send line drives everywhere rather than aim for more loft. A little more leverage could lead to average in-game pop in the future."

Culpepper was the only Kansas State position player ever selected in the first round of the MLB Draft, and it's been an eventful time since. On Thursday, he hit the game-winning home run to lead Cedar Rapids to win the first half championship of the Midwest League West.