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What has Kaelen Culpepper done with his signing bonus, you ask?

Check back in with the Twins’ 2024 first-round pick later, because as he explained with a sheepish smile, he hadn’t yet received it, as of the time he and his family got to meet the organization and explore Target Field on Friday.

Once that sum hits his bank account, though, it seems he’s already got a line item to settle.

“Now I’m here and I’m in debt to [Carlos Correa] right now,” Culpepper said.

If you’ve ever had a bad first day of work, consider that it (hopefully) hasn’t ended with you in debt to the most highly compensated person at your workplace. But how on earth did Culpepper, selected at No. 21 overall last month, find himself in this predicament?

As many first-round Draft picks do when they visit their future home ballpark, Culpepper got the chance to take some swings in the batting cages adjacent to the first-base clubhouse at Target Field. The only problem? He hadn’t brought any gear.

The first bat they brought out was a Louisville Slugger model belonging to Royce Lewis, but after Culpepper took a few swings, he wanted something with a bigger barrel. The next bat up was a bright pink model that belonged to Correa — and you can see where this is going, right?

“I was swinging good with it,” Culpepper said. “Then the second swing, it just snapped. I was like, ‘Oh.’”

Of course, Correa was around to watch it all go down.

“He came up to me all angry, [then], ‘No, I’m just playing,’” Culpepper said. “He was joking with me. He was like, ‘Tough luck.’”

It sure didn’t spoil Culpepper’s experience. He and his family enjoyed every minute of their first trip to Minnesota, where Culpepper’s dad, Kenneth — geared up in a full Twins uniform himself — immediately took the opportunity to ask how many people could fit into Target Field, before Culpepper got a chance to put faces to names in his new front office.

Later on, he took the field to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in front of an announced crowd of 30,801, earning his first ovation from his future home fans.

“I can see myself playing here for a lot of years,” Culpepper said. “I’m just happy right now, and [I’m] happy to be here.”

But after all that, the thing that stood out most to Culpepper on his first day of work before reporting to the club’s Minor League complex in Fort Myers?

“Probably the food,” Culpepper said. “As soon as I got there, the cafeteria was open, and I was able to eat like crazy. I was starving. Other than that, everybody there, the staff, the coaches, they all treated me like family from day one.”