WEYMOUTH, Mass. (July 14, 2024) 一 Make it a “high five” of Futures League picks in the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft!
The Futures League’s record run of former players called in the first round of the MLB Draft continued for a fifth consecutive year on Sunday night, as the Minnesota Twins selected Kansas State shortstop Kaelen Culpepper (Norwich ‘21) with the No. 21 overall pick. Culpepper is just the second-ever Sea Unicorn drafted and the first during the opening round.
Culpepper hit .301 with six doubles, two home runs, 19 RBI, 30 runs scored and 11 stolen bases across 40 games in Norwich before embarking upon his standout college career, which included him earning D1Baseball.com second-team All-America and third straight All-Big 12 honors for his major contributions to K-State’s first NCAA tournament team since 2013 this spring.
The Memphis, Tenn., native hit a team-best .328 and slugged .574 while recording 15 doubles, 11 homers and 59 RBI during his junior year with the Wildcats. His 26 career homers rank 10th in program history. Culpepper’s prospect status ballooned even higher after he finished as the leading hitter for the U.S. Collegiate National Team last summer and also earned Fayetteville Regional Most Outstanding Player honors during K-State’s tournament run last month.
Culpepper is the 10th all-time Futures League alum drafted by Minnesota and the first since former University of Connecticut catcher Pat Winkel (Bristol ‘18) was a ninth-round pick in 2021.
Three total Futures League players were drafted on Sunday. Multiple alumni went off the board across the first two rounds for the second straight year and third time in league history. Duke left-handed pitcher Jonathan Santucci (Worcester ‘21) and Virginia catcher Ethan Anderson (Vermont ‘21) were second-rounders, going to the New York Mets at No. 46 and Baltimore Orioles at No. 61, respectively.
Santucci joined the Bravehearts as a two-way standout out of New England prep power Phillips Andover in 2021 before focusing on the pitching mound later in his career at Duke. During his stint in the Futures League, the Leominster, Mass., native posted two saves in as many pitching appearances while going for five hits and six RBI across eight games as a position player. As for the college level, Santucci became the Blue Devils’ Friday night starter over the past two seasons, including posting a 6-1 record and 3.38 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 58 innings during his All-ACC campaign in 2024.
The 2021 Futures League Top Pro Prospect, Anderson was a whopping .427 hitter with a 1.188 OPS, five homers and 32 RBI in 29 games for a championship-winning Lake Monsters club. Anderson, who joined Santucci as an All-ACC pick in 2024, hit .331 with 67 runs scored to help Virginia reach the College World Series and ranks in the top-10 in Virginia history in numerous categories including third in doubles.
Former University of Maryland star Matt Shaw (Worcester ‘20-’21) became the highest-drafted alum in the Futures League’s 14-year history in 2023, going 13th overall to the Chicago Cubs. Shaw has climbed to the Double-A level in less than a year’s time and recently played in the MLB All-Star Futures Game which showcased the best talent in all of the minor leagues.
The ongoing streak of first-rounders began with Washington Nationals farmhand Cade Cavalli (Pittsfield ‘17) being chosen 22nd overall in 2020. Prior to Shaw, former Boston College and current Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick (North Shore ‘18,’20) was the highest draftee in league history at No. 15 in 2021.
University of Connecticut product Reggie Crawford (Westfield ‘20) was the Futures League’s third straight first-round pick and became the first-ever draftee in Starfires franchise history in 2022. The hard-throwing southpaw was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the 30th overall pick, which was the last of the first round.
The only former Futures League player drafted in the first round prior to Cavalli in 2020 was another Boston College product in Chris Shaw, who was the No. 31 pick of the San Francisco Giants in the first compensation round back in 2015. Playing in 22 games for the Giants in 2018, Shaw was the second of now-20 league alumni to climb all the way to “The Show.”
Culpepper (No. 31), Santucci (37) and Anderson (78) entered Sunday as the top two of six former Futures Leaguers ranked among MLB Pipeline’s Top 250. Santucci was also cited as New England Baseball Journal’s No. 1 prospect with regional ties, heading a 20-player list that featured 13 league alumni.
The 2024 MLB Draft continues on Monday (Rounds 3-10) and Tuesday (Rounds 11-20) at 2 p.m. Eastern.
For the latest news and information on the Futures League throughout the year, visit thefuturesleague.com and follow the league’s Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram pages.
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