Killer Frogs

Three Members of the Big 12 Selected in the 1st Round of the MLB Draft

JJ Wetherholt, Carson Benge, and Kaelen Culpepper were the first Big 12 members selected in the MLB Draft.

Carson Wersal

Jun 8, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers JJ Wetherholt (27) bats against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the first inning of the DI Baseball Super Regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 8, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers JJ Wetherholt (27) bats against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the first inning of the DI Baseball Super Regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports / Jeffrey Camarati-USA TODAY Sports

While the Big 12 didn't have any teams ending their season in Omaha this year, it still had some representation in the first round of the MLB Draft.

JJ Wetherholt, West Virginia's star shortstop, was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals as the 7th overall draft pick. Wetherholt was the Big 12 Player of the Year in 2023 and slashed a .370 average in his three years at West Virginia. Not only did the lefty hit for average, but he also had some pop with 29 home runs despite being injured for a large part of the 2024 season. As far as 5-Tool athletes go, Wetherholt is about as good as it gets for MLB scouts.

Carson Benge was next off the board on Day 1 after being selected by the New York Mets with the 19th overall pick. Benge was awarded the Most Outstanding Player in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship after leading Oklahoma State to its 4th Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship and 1st in the last five years.

As a hitter, Benge hit .339 with 41 doubles, 25 home runs, and 107 RBIs in his two years as an Oklahoma State Cowboy. When the two-way player took the mound, he was one of the better relievers that Oklahoma State had in the 2024 season. In 2023, the righty posted a 6.69 ERA but turned things around by bringing it down to a 3.16 ERA over 37 innings in 2024. One would expect the Mets organization to keep him as a hitting-focused player.

Kaelen Culpepper was the final Big 12 member to be selected in the 1st round when he was selected by the Minnesota Twins at the 21st pick. Culpepper was the guy for Kansas State 2 years in a row. He especially shined in the 2024 season when he led Kansas State to a super-regional appearance after sweeping the Fayetteville Regional, where he would be selected as the Most Outstanding Player.

Culpepper finished his three years at Kansas State, slashing a .314 average with 32 doubles and 26 home runs. Culpepper's speed and fielding ability were likely large factors in the shortstop being selected in the 1st round. In terms of fielding ability, he and JJ Wetherholt are extremely similar in the types of difficult plays they can make.

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Carson Wersal
CARSON WERSAL

Carson is a student currently at TCU studying journalism with a sports focus. He graduated from Aledo High School and played baseball for Frank Phillips College before attending TCU in 2022. Carson follows local Fort Worth sports but is excited to start writing about TCU sports. 

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