Twins first round pick Kaelen Culpepper already looks like the next fast rising prospect

One of the most exciting themes running through this season for the Minnesota Twins is how well things have gone down on the farm.

Already the Twins have debuted two top prospects, with Brooks Lee and David Festa both making the leap earlier this year. All signs point toward Zebby Matthews soon joining them, which would mean a total of five prospects have made their debut this season for Minnesota.

Austin Martin and Jair Camargo both debuted in April, and we can make the arguement for lumping a resurgent Simeon Woods Richardson into that group as well. It's been another massive youth movement for the Twins, and it seems as though things are merely getting started.

Bubbling beneath the surface of the MLB roster and the talent in St. Paul is the next wave of the youth movement. Minnesota put together a fantastic draft class this year, and we're already seeing the team's top pick make waves down in Florida.

Kaelen Culpepper already looks like the top prospect to rocket through the farm system

Minnesota took Kansas State's Kaelen Culpepper with its first round pick, and he's already making everyone feel really good about that decision. After signing his rookie deal, Culpepper reported to Fort Myers and has wasted no time in leaving his mark.

That home run came not long after he mashed a ground rule double in his first career at-bat in the minors.

It's not just that Culpepper is hitting well, it's how hard he's making contact with the ball. This was something on his draft profile that jumped out as soon as Twins fans started digging into him after he was picked, and he's wasting no time at all in looking like another potential piece of the youth movement.

When he actually gets to that point is yet to be seen. He's just only made his debut in Fort Myers, and there's still plenty of distance left for him to run before he's knocking on the door of a promotion. Still, Culpepper was one of a handful of top players drafted out of college this year, which carries the added benefit of him potentially being more MLB-ready than someone like Walker Jenkins.

If we're making that comparison, Jenkins spent a few months with the Mighty Mussels before getting promoted to High-A Cedar Rapids. If Culpepper is theoretically already ahead of him in his development, then it might not be long before we see him become the next fast riser in the Twins' farm system.

A lot of work needs to be done first, but this is a pretty incredible start for the team's top draft pick.

More Minnesota Twins news and rumors