On August 7, the Minnesota Twins called up prospect Kaelen Culpepper. And it didn’t take long for the talented shortstop to make an impact, as he went yard in his very first at-bat. Now a full 100 plus bats into his major league career, Culpepper has become one of Minnesota’s most productive position players.

Ahead of last Sunday’s matchup with the Chicago White Sox, Culpepper talked about how quickly things have moved since his early August call up. The dynamic infielder who’s auditioning to be the Twins future long-term answer at shortstop told reporters this …

“The first month has gone by really quick.”

Twins Moved Culpepper To Second In Lineup

After hitting first or second in the lineup in the minors, Culpepper has been locked into other spots in the lineup since his call up, well that changed last weekend and Culpepper expressed how comfortable he is in the first two spots in the lineup.

“It was nice, man,” Culpepper said of hitting second in the Twins lineup Saturday, for the first time since his contract was selected early last month. “You know what I mean? I hit leadoff and second a lot in the minors. So being back in the two-hole, it’s kind of, you know, allowed me to reminisce a little bit. But I felt pretty comfortable—felt right at home again.”

And right at home he was, going 2-for-5, including an RBI double in the top of the seventh inning that served as an insurance run for the club’s 6-4 comeback win over Chicago. Culpepper’s success extends far beyond Saturday night’s late-inning heroics. Over 100 plate appearances, the rookie has hit .297/.350/.451 with five doubles, three home runs, and a 133 wRC+. In 105 at-bats he is batting .286 with 11 RBI, while solidifying his role.

Culpepper Big On His Hands

His underlying metrics support his strong start at the plate; he’s shown great bat speed and some good contact skills.

“I just want to be quick in general.” Culpepper said. “I want the main thing that I’m known for is my hands. I feel like word is getting out pretty nice, but yeah, it’s always been a thing for me.”

The bat speed remains unexpectedly eye-popping, averaging out at 73.7 MPH. That’s the third-quickest swing on the active roster, sitting behind only Ryan Kreidler (74) and Royce Lewis (75.2). His quick hands have translated at shortstop, too, helping him net 0 Outs Above Average (OAA) over 203 innings played at the position.

“I played some really good defense in the minors, and I want that to translate,” he said. “I know there have been some hiccups up here, but like, I’m young in my career. So, every day I’m working to make those routine plays: make the hard plays look easy.”

Culpepper Wants To Finish Season Strong

Expected to be the Twins starting shortstop for the foreseeable future, Culpepper knows his continued development is vital.

“I wanna stay healthy. You know what I mean? I want to stay on the field. Continue playing every day—producing well,” Culpepper said. “I’m feeling healthy. I haven’t had any issues (with my hip) since I came off the IL, so I’m good, I’m clean. Just trying to grind it out.”