The Minnesota Twins have the most U.S.-born Black players, five, in the majors so far this season. The team’s Triple-A farm club, the St. Paul Saints, has just one Black player, and he is eager to join the parent club soon.
“My name is Kaelen Culpepper. I’m just ready to show who I am. Ready to get to the big stage and really take off, elevate the game,” the 23-year-old, 5-10 infielder said as he introduced himself to the Spokesman-Recorder and its readers. The Memphis native is in his first full season in Triple-A.
Culpepper was drafted by the Twins in the first round in 2024, 21st overall. After signing with Minnesota, he was assigned to the minors and debuted with the Fort Myers (A) club, then was promoted to Cedar Rapids (A+) and represented the Twins in the 2025 All-Star Futures Game. He plays shortstop just like his older brother, who played the same position.
“I wanted to be like him growing up,” Culpepper said. “I was just a shadow, following his footsteps at shortstop. I was trying to do the same thing as him. I got good at it.”
Culpepper was a two-sport athlete in high school but chose baseball over basketball. He earned first-team All-State honors as a senior and played college ball at Kansas State for three seasons, where he was switched from third base to shortstop and became an MLB top draft prospect.
“I feel like all my tools are on an even level,” he said. “I would say speed, how quick I am… very athletic, that’s why I’m pretty good at this game. I can hit. I can run. I can do all the intangibles, so I feel like I don’t really have one that stands above the others.”
Culpepper said he knew early on that he had something special.
“When I got to high school, I feel like I was on a different level than other kids around me. I had always been the best player on the field. Once I got to high school, I started training harder, gaining more confidence, and I wanted to go D1. I always wanted to get to that big league level just so I can make enough money to provide for my family. That’s always been the goal.”
Culpepper was named the Twins’ Minor League Player of the Year in 2025 after hitting 20 home runs, driving in 64 runs and stealing 25 bases in 113 games split between AA Wichita and A+ Cedar Rapids. He raised his batting average 47 points and his OPS 120 points from his first season in the minors.
He was the lone Saints player to make his Triple-A debut on Opening Day in March. His St. Paul debut was a three-hit game, and his first Triple-A home run came the following night.
Now in his second full season in the minors, Culpepper said he is quickly learning what life in professional baseball really demands.
“They always tell you about the grind, but they don’t tell you how many games you have to play and how important it is to stay healthy through all of them, and having to do it every day. That’s a big thing. You’ve got to be mentally stable because it’s hard.”
Culpepper entered last week’s series against Lehigh Valley batting .267 with three home runs and 11 RBI. He leads the Saints in hits (20), runs scored (10) and total bases (33) and has started every game this season. His sights remain fixed on a big league call-up.
“Things have been going my way,” he said. “I just got to keep my head down, keep running, keep that chip on my back, keep pushing.”
Woldeslassie joins Northern Iowa staff
Former Macalester College men’s head basketball coach Abe Woldeslassie, who served as an assistant at the University of Denver this past season, has joined Kyle Green’s staff at the University of Northern Iowa as assistant coach and general manager.
“I’m grateful to join Coach Kyle Green at Northern Iowa,” Woldeslassie said. “There is a great tradition of winning here, and the Missouri Valley is a great basketball conference.”
Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses at challman@spokesman-recorder.com.