In this era of Phillies baseball, no contract signing has sparked more debate than that of Max Kepler. The longtime Minnesota Twins’ right fielder was signed to play left field for the Phillies, despite never playing the position in the majors.
Adding to the confusion, Kepler batted from the left side when the Phillies already had a left-heavy lineup. To many fans and pundits, the 1-year $10 million contract just didn’t make sense. What was an out-of-position outfielder with a .683 OPS going to do to help the Phillies?
Max Kepler
Now, a month into the season, the answer to that seems obvious. He’s a competent outfielder who hits right-handed pitchers. So far, he’s slashed .269/.367/.462 against righties with 9 extra-base hits.
Kepler underwent surgery in the offseason to repair a partially detached abdominal muscle. His lackluster 2024 had plenty to do with the injury. Now, Kepler is back to feeling healthy.
“I feel much better. It’s night and day. I played with what I didn’t really know was as severe as it was last year for about 2 months. To feel pain-free and get to play the game is something that I think we all ask for [as players].”
Kepler has especially looked good at the plate recently. In his last 10 games, he’s hit .333 with a 1.187 OPS. In that time, he has 2 doubles, 3 homers, and 4 walks. Manager Rob Thomson has been happy with what he’s seen and attributes the success to an adjustment in the box.
“He looked like he did in Spring Training,” said Thomson. “They moved him a little closer to the plate so he could cover the outside part of the plate. He’s adjusted very well.”
Solid Contact
If you look at the Statcast metrics, Kepler’s numbers look even better. He’s sitting in the 83rd percentile of all MLB players in Expected Batting Average and Hard-Hit% (balls hit 95+ MPH). His xBA against fastballs even shows that he’s getting unlucky. He’s hitting .226 against fastballs but with a .297 xBA.
His one drawback has been a weakness against lefties. He’s hitting just .208 against southpaws. Even if his future is as a strong-side platoon left fielder, it’s probably right around market value. On Friday night, however, Max Kepler took left-hander Jose Castillo deep to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead. A positive sign for the Phillies’ outfielder.
Take Joc Pederson, for example. While he has a better pedigree, he’s a strong-side platoon DH at this stage of his career. The Texas Rangers signed him to a 2-year, $37 million deal.
Luckily, the Phillies have the perfect platoon partner in Weston Wilson. In his career, Wilson has a .327 average with a 1.053 OPS against lefties.
Together, it looks like the Phillies found their solution to their ailing left field problem for 2025.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
