On the Right Track: How Kaelen Culpepper Is Betting on Himself

TOLEDO, Ohio — On a muggy, 85-degree afternoon in downtown Toledo, Kaelen Culpepper stepped into the cage for the first round of batting practice for the St. Paul Saints.

Step, crack.

Step, crack.

Step, crack.

A National League scout watching from a distance has seen the same time and again from the 23-year-old and isn’t surprised.

“His mental approach is easy,” the scout said. “He likes it that way. He likes to keep the noise turned down. Everything else about him has a bite to it. He plays like a vet who’s been doing this for years. He gets the game and knows all he can control is the pace he sets for himself.”

Step, crack.

Step, crack.

Culpepper has set his own pace, just the way he likes it.

Labeled “the million-dollar smile” by the St. Paul coaching staff, everything about Culpepper is equal parts competitor and not taking life too seriously.

Away from the field, when he gets the opportunity, he’ll do a bit of exploring during a road series. Partly to take in a new city and also to continue building his developing cologne collection.

“I try not to go too expensive,” Culpepper grinned. “For me, I don’t really have a list (of brands). I just say, ‘Okay, well, whatever smells good, I’ll get it,’ and then I’ll research it. I’ll find out that it’s actually pretty popular.”

“I do have some that are pretty expensive,” Culpepper said. “I save those special events and date nights.”

With the self-assuredness that comes from knowing his abilities, Culpepper admits he hasn’t had a “welcome to Triple-A” moment. He simply said he’s saving welcome moments for his big-league debut, and he has his eyes set on debuting as the next shortstop for the Minnesota Twins.

On the Right Track: How Kaelen Culpepper Is Betting on Himself

In his first year as hitting coach for the St. Paul Saints, CJ Baker has had the opportunity to observe Culpepper in a variety of situations, and while the confidence has always been visible, it’s Culpepper’s humility that stands out the most to Baker.

“It was his first year in Cedar Rapids when he came up, the same year as his draft,” Baker said, thinking back to his first interaction with Culpepper. “We got this kid who was ultra confident, but humble at the same time. He had the million-dollar smile and just immediately was like, ‘I’ll let you know that I want to be the best possible player that I can be.'”

“It was awesome,” Baker said, “My immediate impression as soon as he walked in the room was he’s fantastic.”

In his first season with Triple-A St. Paul, the routine hasn’t changed for the 23-year-old. Leaning on strong relationships with his hitting coaches and coordinators, Culpepper’s focus has been on refining the process rather than making any sizable changes.

“I think it’s just about sticking to my routine,” Culpepper said. “I feel like the coaching staff here, they’ve done a really good job of helping me put together a hitting plan. I can go into each and every day the same. Tee work and get my angles going. That’s helped me stay up to par with what I need to do to get my mind ready for every game, and for every pitcher that we’re going to face.”

By the numbers, Culpepper’s growing pains in the International League have been minor, if any. Between 2025 and 2026, his walk rate has increased from 9.7% to 12.5%, and his ISO has increased from .181 to .220.

To-Do List

“I’ve always been, like, a twitchy athlete, like quick twitch,” Culpepper said. “I have a lot of torque. This past offseason, the main focus was to get stronger and hit the ball harder consistently. So far, I feel like I could check that off my to-do list.”

It’s a to-do list that Culpepper isn’t rushing through. Some of the items on the list simply take time, and the trickle-down effect of checking each one off ultimately feeds into the version of himself he’s been working towards throughout his professional career.

• Playing every day
• Developing maturity with age
• Hitting the weight room multiple times throughout the week
• Stay loose

Staying on top of those things. Culpepper says he feels strong, and he’s found that strength comes from confidence.

“With more experience, I’m learning how my body moves,” Culpepper said. “I’ll go watch film. It helps me see what adjustments I need to make to get the maximum amount of effort out of my swings. It all goes back to being confident, knowing that I can do damage on any count.”

The power at the plate is pacing the Tennessee native for a career-high in home runs…all in a brand new league.

“He’s been awesome,” Baker said. “He’s walking at a higher clip, punching out less, chasing less. Over the last year, he has really honed in the pitches that he’s looking for. He understands what he can do damage on and picks his shots on plus counts, just really grooving in his general approach. That’s been just such an awesome intentional training focus that he’s excelled at.”

Before the 2026 regular season, Culpepper enlisted an offseason training partner in longtime Twins fixture Royce Lewis. Lewis’ personal experience has been vital to Culpepper’s mental approach, and the two have connected quickly.

“I got to pick his brain a lot (during the offseason) just to see how things are,” Culpepper said. “He was helping me, gave me a lot of advice, and it’s helped me up to this point. I still talk to him. He tells me what I need to do to stay confident, to get rest, and sleep. He tells me what mentality I need to have going into my at-bats, going to a game, going into defense, and all that stuff. Basically, he just said, ‘Stay locked in and always have fun.'”

“I’m sure you see him, he’s always smiling,” Culpepper said. “He’s always having a blast, so I try to do the same thing, because he’s already been (in the big leagues). He’s already there. He’s a dog.”

Playing the Defensive Long Game

While Culpepper is still working primarily as a shortstop, the Twins have expanded his defensive assignments with work at second and third base.

Knowing the versatility will only make him that much more of a well-rounded athlete, Culpepper doesn’t shy from it, but ultimately, he believes he has what it takes to play shortstop at the major-league level.

“I think (the positions) show versatility,” Culpepper said. “I’ve always been an athlete, so I’m just showing my ability on the field at any position. I try to play the same everywhere. I just try to keep everything balanced, but at shortstop, I want to play at the big-league level.”

With a plus arm and the projection of a plus defensive profile, some scouts believe that, coupled with Culpepper’s determination, could be the combination to make Culpepper’s dream a reality.

“He’s one of those guys who will try anything to get where he wants to be, but he’ll stay coachable at the same time,” the American League scout said. “He knows what he wants, but he absolutely goes about getting there the right way.”

The chatter isn’t lost on Culpepper. He’s gotten used to silencing his social media notifications. His ability to tune out the noise and trust the Twins’ timing is allowing him to set his own pace, just the way he likes it.

“It’s challenging,” Culpepper said. “I think the biggest thing is you’ve got to make adjustments from pitch to pitch, not just at-bats. It’s hard, but it’s fun. I’m having a lot of fun just learning about myself, learning what I need to do to produce, stay on the field, and honestly, learning what the big-league guys want out of me.”

“I’m going to be an All-Star,” Culpepper said. “Eventually, I want to have that kind of career where I can set my family up, take care of them, and see how good I can get. I feel like I’m still creeping on my way up to my ultimate potential.

“I’ve got a lot of room to grow, but I feel like I’m on the right track right now.”