Max Kepler - 2016

[goulik]

Maximilian (Max) Kepler

Born Feb. 10, 1993

Acquired: Undrafted Free Agent out of Germany, July 11, 2009

318/410/520 at High A and AA last year. was given 7 MLB at bats last year and has 12 more this year.

 

Scouts like Keplers approach at the plate and plate discipline. For the past two seasons he has taken more walks than strike outs which is a breath of fresh air when it comes to Twins prospects. He hjas the size that suggests some day he will develop more power but we have heard the same about a certain famous Minnesota native as he came up. Max is considered fast for his size and is still listed as a CF though most expect him to end up elsewhere. His arm is strong and he stole 19 bases last year. There is a lot of promise but there is still a lot of development needed with this kid. I hope the Twins (And their fans) will be patient and let hiim develop most of the year in the minors. I also hope he is up in August as part of a long term youth movement in one of the corner outfield spots.

[Vanimal46]

If I could compare Kepler's development to grilling, low and slow is what I prefer. He seems to be finding his bat the last week or so in AAA, which is a great thing to see. I wouldn't mind letting him be in AAA until September call-ups. For the future, I am dreaming of a time where the Sano in RF experiment is over, and Kepler slides into the RF spot. 

[goulik]

If I could compare Kepler's development to grilling, low and slow is what I prefer. He seems to be finding his bat the last week or so in AAA, which is a great thing to see. I wouldn't mind letting him be in AAA until September call-ups. For the future, I am dreaming of a time where the Sano in RF experiment is over, and Kepler slides into the RF spot.

 

Because Kepler has a better arm than our Rosario/Arcia platoon in Left?

[Shane Wahl]

 

Because Kepler has a better arm than our Rosario/Arcia platoon in Left?

 

Well a Rosario-Buxton-Kepler OF is nice to look at (if Rosario overcomes these weird defensive problems of late).

[Mike Sixel]

BIG fan....BIG fan.

[goulik]

I have not posted an update here because Kepler has been in the big leagues and most everyone here knows that. Max is obviously still adjusting to MLB pitchers and looks like he was rushed but I want him to stay and learn at this level. It's a lost season and the sooner he is a permanent fixture out there the better. 209/306/302 can be hard to watch at times but welcome to your 2016 Minnesota Twins. I would rather watch Kepler put up those numbers than Dozier. (230/318/380) SMH.

OK, now I'm depressed again and will move on to something non twins related... Sheesh, this year is tough to watch.

[goulik]

244/322/472 currently as a Minnesota Twin. Those numbers don't excite anyone but given that he was at 209/306/302 less than a month ago is some great news.

Take out his first 12 games and he's hitting 252/333/505 on the year

[Arak30s]

Glad to see Kepler doing well up in MLB.

[Shane Wahl]

Kepler's 2016 Summary

 

128 AAA plate appearances, .282/.367.455 (.822), four doubles, six triples, one homer, 16 walks, 14 strikeouts, one steal, one time caught stealing. 

 

447 MLB plate appearances, .235/.309/.424 (.734), 20 doubles, two triples, 17 homers, 42 walks, 93 strikeouts, six steals, two times caught stealing. 

 

Kepler obviously burst on the scene for the Twins with a big June, July, and early August. He clearly hit a wall with MLB pitching after that point. He hit just two homers in the final full two months.

 

2017 Outlook

 

Kepler's AAA numbers almost match his career minor league numbers, so I think that .822 OPS is a decent ceiling of expectation for next year. One big thing besides increased slugging in 2015 and 2016 in the minors was his 83/77 BB/K rate in 610 plate appearances between AA and AAA. Kepler will be the starting RF, though he provides coverage in LF and CF, and also at 1B in the event that the Twins get trade happy in the offseason.

[HitInAPinch]

"447 MLB plate appearances, .235/.309/.424 (.734), 20 doubles, two triples, 17 homers, 42 walks, 93 strikeouts, six steals, two times caught stealing."

 

For his 1st run in the MLB, I'm very happy with the overall results.  The XBH's was a surprise / not from Max. 

 

With his defense [which also started out slowly] and 447 PA's to learn from, I see a big year next season for Max Kepler