We've officially arrived at the MLB All-Star Break, but the festivies for today's star players are getting kicked off by the ones of tomorrow.
The MLB Draft got underway on Sunday night and while Minnesota Twins fans had to wait a little bit for the pick to be made, it ended up being worth it. Kansas State shortstop Kaelen Culpepper was the pick at No. 21 overall and the emotion he showed after his name was called said it all.
Culpepper's reaction to getting drafted by Minnesota was awesome, plain and simple. As soon as his name was called, he burst into tears and embraced his family in a moment so powerful it resonated through the screen.
Just watch:
The Twins have taken Kansas State SS Kaelen Culpepper pic.twitter.com/qXVcWokBB7
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) July 15, 2024
Getting drafted is a special moment for any prospect who has put in the time and hard work to get to this point. There was just something a little more special about seeing how much it meant to Culpepper to have everything he's done so far pay off by being a first round pick.
How will Kaelen Culpepper fit into the Twins future?
One major theme at the MLB Draft this year was the sheer number of college players who were selected. Usually there's a more even split with, or even a skew toward, high school players but that wasn't the case on Sunday night.
What that potentially means is faster track for this year's class to reaching the majors. That's something we saw with the 2023 class, as guys like Paul Skenes, Wyatt Langford, and Nolan Schanuel who all made their MLB debut less than a year after being drafted.
Player development and conditioning is better than it's ever been at the college level, and that's contributing in a big way to how quickly some of these guys are reaching the majors. That's a huge selling point on Culpepper, who was a standout at Kansas State but also led the way on a stacked Team USA team that featured a ton of guys who have been highly rated prospects.
Culpepper was drafted as a shortstop but he could play third base or even over at second long term. He hit .328/.419/.574 this season for Kansas State, becoming their first-ever position player to be drafted in the first round, and has a bright future at the plate.
He's not going to be a power hitter, but he projects to be a guy who knows how to get on base and is a great defensive addition. That could mean a future where Edouard Julien slots in as DH while Culpepper platoons the infield with Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee.
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