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.

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.

JJ Wetherholt has to be one of the favorites to win the 2024 Golden Spikes

He’s hitting .470 with 31 XBH and 32 SB ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/qd1BuHhZqz

— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) May 4, 2023

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.

𝐌𝐫. 𝐌𝐞𝐭

Carson Benge
1st Round, Pick 19, New York Mets #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/6j3Z0ccpqh

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball) July 15, 2024

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.

Can confirm: Kaelen Culpepper, still hot 🔥🌶️@KStateBSB x @thechosen1kc pic.twitter.com/4sOlNgGlhi

— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) June 7, 2024

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Killer Frogs message board community today!

Follow KillerFrogs on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest TCU news! Follow KillerFrogs on Facebook and Instagram as well. Download the KillerFrogs app on Google Play or in the Apple App Store.