For the primary time in his skilled baseball profession, Max Kepler is sporting a uniform that doesn’t belong to the Minnesota Twins. After signing a one-year, $10 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in December, the veteran outfielder has needed to regulate to new teammates, coaches, and a recent hitting method—one which he hopes will revive his offensive manufacturing.
Kepler, 32, admitted final month that he felt some nerves getting into the Phillies’ clubhouse at BayCare Ballpark in Florida. However after working intently with Phillies hitting coach Kevin Lengthy, he’s beginning to settle in—each on and off the sphere.
Kepler showcased his refined swing throughout the Phillies’ Grapefruit League opener in opposition to the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. He got here via in an enormous second, delivering a bases-loaded single within the third inning that introduced dwelling two runs in a 7-6 loss. He later walked and scored within the fifth.
“It felt good,” Kepler stated. “With extra repetition, the ball will get larger. Simply having good high quality at-bats is the important thing to the entire development.”
Max Kepler hoping to contribute to his new Phillies workforce
His changes got here after spending time with Lengthy in Arizona, the place the hitting coach beneficial three key modifications: stepping into his legs extra for higher steadiness, transferring nearer to the plate to raised deal with exterior pitches, and tipping his bat barely towards the dugout as an alternative of preserving it straight up.
“It is a extra direct path to the zone,” Kepler defined. “In case your bat’s straight up, it’s a must to loop round and have a tendency to get underneath it. Now, it’s simply extra stage to enter the bat zone.”
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Kepler has traditionally made his “bread and butter” by pulling the ball, and the Phillies hope these modifications will permit him to rediscover his energy.
Final season, Kepler hit .253 with eight homers and 42 RBIs, ending with a .682 OPS earlier than a left knee harm ended his season in September. He later underwent core surgical procedure in October. Now, totally wholesome, Kepler believes he can return to his 2019-23 kind, the place he posted a .770 OPS and a 110 OPS+.
“I have been hitting the ball arduous,” Kepler famous about his early spring coaching classes. “With the changes, I’ve far more time and a number of room to play with the bat head. It’s making sense.”
Past his on-field modifications, Kepler can also be adjusting to a brand new clubhouse atmosphere for the primary time since signing with the Twins in 2009 as an newbie free agent from Germany.
“Attempting to place the best identify to the best faces,” he stated. “I really like stepping out of my consolation zone, difficult myself, and attending to know all the blokes in right here. I haven’t come throughout one unhealthy apple—everybody’s been actually open and welcoming.”
Because the Phillies put together for the 2025 season, they’re banking on Kepler’s new method and clear invoice of well being to make him a key contributor of their on a regular basis lineup. If his early outcomes are any indication, he’s already heading in the right direction.