Culpepper’s work at shortstop gives Minnesota another reason to watch his September closely, alongside an encouraging start at the plate.
Kaelen Culpepper wants the defense that helped him reach Minnesota to hold up in the majors, and he is spending time each day working toward that goal.
For the Twins, those repetitions are a reason to watch their shortstop between his trips to the plate.
In an interview before Sunday’s game in Chicago, Culpepper acknowledged some mistakes during his first stretch in the majors.
He described working with Ramon Borrego every day, including on parts of his defense he has practiced for more than a year.
That gives his September a specific purpose beyond collecting hits.
Minnesota has a shortstop trying to make routine plays reliably while learning how much ground he can cover at this level.
Culpepper Wants His Defense to Translate
Culpepper told Twins Daily on September 6, “I played some really good defense in the minors, and I want that to translate.”
His path to that opportunity included being sent to the minors during spring training and then a hip strain that interrupted his push toward a promotion.
Now he has major-league innings against which to measure the work he described.
Through September 7, Culpepper had started 26 games at shortstop and played 228 innings there, with two errors.
That is a start for judging his defense, though an error total alone tells little about the balls a fielder reaches or the throws he chooses to make.
The routine grounder still deserves attention because a shortstop gets fewer chances to rescue a play once the ball is in his glove.
A clean transfer and a throw that lets the first baseman hold the bag can finish the out without requiring anything spectacular.
Those are the plays Culpepper said he is trying to make consistently, alongside his effort to handle the harder chances.
Daily work gives him somewhere to take a mistake before another game puts him in a similar position.
Repeating that play in practice could help him make a calmer decision when a runner is moving down the line and the time to throw is running short.
Longer Look at Shortstop
The Twins have used Brooks Lee at shortstop in 48 games this season, totaling 400 innings through Monday.
Culpepper’s time at the position gives Minnesota another player to assess as it considers how to arrange its infield.
His bat has helped him contribute during that process, including two hits in four at-bats against Detroit on Monday.
Through that game, he was hitting .305 with three home runs in 26 appearances, an encouraging beginning with plenty of room for the numbers to move.
Culpepper has even drawn discussion as a potential early extension candidate, although that argument is about his potential and does not establish that contract talks are underway.
The immediate work is easier to identify because he described it himself.
September can give the Twins more chances to see whether his preparation carries into games, especially after an awkward hop or a difficult throw.
Finishing the month with more dependable outs would help Culpepper build a place in Minnesota’s infield alongside the offense he has already supplied.
