Kepler Wins Third Ring, Gets The Call

After the Lookouts championship, the Minnesota Twins announced via Twitter that Max Kepler was heading to the big leagues.

It's been a great year for the German. He began the year with this second year at big league spring training. After injury meant his season started with a week with the Ft. Myers Miracle, and he then moved up to the Lookouts. From that point, he dominated the Southern League.

He went on to hit .322/.416/.531 (.947) with 32 doubles, 13 triples and nine home runs. As impressive, he walked 67 times and struck out 63 times.

He ended the season on a cold streak and hit just .188 in the playoffs. That said, he hit three homers in the playoffs and walked nine times (to go with 10 strikeouts).

Kepler was signed the same day the Twins signed infielder Jorge Polanco in July of 2009. Miguel Sano signed that October.

Kepler has been written about nearly every day at Twins Daily since about May 1. Last week, he was unanimously chosen as the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Year.

Kepler can play all three outfield positions defensively as well as first base. I would guess that he will do some pinch hitting until (or if!) the Twins are officially eliminated from contention. If they are eliminated, he would likely play every day, somewhere.

Kepler will most likely spend a couple of months in Rochester at the start of the 2016 season. However, it is a nice "bonus" for Kepler as he will be able to learn from the veterans through observation. He'll also make about $35,000 to $40,000 for his two weeks with the club.

The other person from the Twins minor leagues who will be joining the Twins is Cedar Rapids Kernels manager Jake Mauer. He will join the Twins coaching staff for the final two weeks of the season.

Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!