Every young pitcher dreams of that breakthrough moment—the chance to stare down a superstar in the batter’s box. Grip that ball, just a little tighter, and just go for the ultimate punch. For CJ Culpepper, Minnesota Twins’ star prospect, the dream has two names—Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto.
Playing with the Wind Surge, Culpepper struck out 14 batters, walked just one, and allowed only two runs on eight hits in 13 innings. He was sharp and threw 69% of his pitches for strikes, and his ability to miss bats was on full display. The young man knows he has potential and has the confident to boot, too.
In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Culpepper was asked, “If you could strike out anybody in the game, who would it be?” And Culpepper’s answer? “I guess I would say Shohei, just because he’s the big name in baseball right now. So either him or Juan Soto—big names. So maybe probably those two,” said Culpepper.
A fancy dream or assured reality for CJ Culpepper?
