Wildcat shortstop becomes the highest position player drafted in school history.
For the second time in four years, Kansas State has a player selected in the first round of the MLB draft. In 2021, it was pitcher Jordan Wicks, taken 21st overall by the Chicago Cubs.
Tonight, in Fort Worth, shortstop Kaelen Culpepper equaled Wicks when he too was selected 21st overall by the Minnesota Twins. This makes Culpepper the highest position player taken in the MLB draft from K-State.
The junior from Memphis led or shared the team lead in batting average, hits, triples, home runs, RBI, total bases, and slugging percentage. Strangely, he did not make the 2024 All-Big 12 first team alongside his keystone partner Brady Day, but did earn a second-team selection.
Still Culpepper’s athleticism — as well, perhaps, as some huge post-season performances this June — got him the attention of MLB scouts. Pre-draft rankings had Culpepper as a late first or early second round pick, and some may think the Twins reached slightly, but not egregiously. However, Culpepper’s skill set seems to fit the Minnesota system well.
Other Wildcats still waiting for a call include pitcher Tyson Neighbors, who’s projecting out to an early fourth-round selection and pitcher Jackson Wentworth, a probable sixth-rounder. Should Neighbors be taken before pick 105, he would become the fourth-highest (regular) draft pick in school history behind Wicks, Culpepper, and Jack Woolsey, taken in the second round, 42nd overall, in 1969 by the San Francisco Giants.