Twins' first-round pick Kaelen Culpepper promoted after 9 games

Not a bad first month of pro baseball for the 21-year-old first-round pick.

Jul 14, 2024; Ft. Worth, TX, USA; MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred takes a photo with Kaelen Culpepper after he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins with the 21st pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

It took just nine games for Kaelen Culpepper to impress the Minnesota Twins enough to get a promotion from Class A Fort Myers to Class A+ Cedar Rapids. That also means the 2025 first-round draft pick is only a four-hour drive away from Minneapolis if fans want to go see the shortstop prospect.

Culpepper was drafted 21st overall by the Twins on July 14. On Aug. 2, Culpepper visited Target Field and broke Carlos Correa's bat. He flew to Fort Myers the next day and made his pro ball debut Aug. 9. He got the promotion to Cedar Rapids on Aug. 19.

Not a bad first month for the 21-year-old who starred at Kansas State in college.

Culpepper slashed .297/.366/.541 with two homers, three doubles, nine RBIs and two stolen bases in nine games with the Mighty Mussels. He now slots in as the starting shortstop for a Cedar Rapids team that features Minnesota's No. 1 overall prospect, outfielder Walker Jenkins.

Jenkins was recently ranked the fourth-best prospect in the majors by Baseball America. In 16 games with Cedar Rapids, Jenkins is slashing .250/.319/.375 with a triple and six doubles.