After spending over a decade in the Twins’ organization, outfielder Max Kepler signed a one-year contract worth $10 million with the Philadelphia Phillies this past offseason. Halfway through the season, it appears Minnesota made the right decision in letting Kepler walk in free agency.
Former long-tenured Twin Max Kepler struggling in first season with the Philadelphia Phillies as Minnesota’s outfielders are producing
Kepler has struggled in his first year as a Phillie, slashing .213/.304/.383 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs while posting 0.1 bWAR in 273 plate appearances. Kepler’s defense has been below average this season as well; he has -1 outs above average (29th percentile).
The Twins currently have four outfielders who have been better than Kepler this year per bWAR: Byron Buxton (3.2 bWAR), Harrison Bader (1.5 bWAR), Trevor Larnach (0.8 bWAR) and Matt Wallner (0.3 bWAR). Willi Castro, who has posted 0.9 bWAR with an .812 OPS this year, has also played plenty of innings in the outfield this season and is having a better year than Kepler.
Kepler expresses frustration with role with Phillies
Kepler has only started three times against a left-handed starting pitcher this year. The former Twins outfielder recently commented on why he believes he has had trouble producing at the plate lately, according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.
“The biggest challenge for me is not playing routinely,” Kepler said after the Phillies’ 2-1 loss against the Houston Astros on Thursday. “That’s the biggest challenge.”
Kepler said he was given the impression he would be the Phillies’ starting left fielder this year instead of being utilized as part of a platoon strategy.
Despite Kepler’s struggles, Philadelphia is in first place in a competitive National League East division with a 48-34 record.
Kepler collected two singles, a walk and an RBI in Philadelphia’s 13-0 win against the Atlanta Braves on Friday, but his season statistics are still well below average. Since the Phillies are World Series contenders, it’s plausible they will look to the trade market for an outfield upgrade, which would likely lead to Kepler getting DFA’d.
The Phillies wouldn’t lose much in getting rid of Kepler, given the nature of his contract being just for this year at a relatively low cost.
