Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Max Kepler

How Max Kepler built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Maximilian Kepler-Różycki is a German-American professional baseball outfielder currently playing for the Philadelphia Phillies in MLB. He debuted in MLB in 2015 with the Minnesota Twins, where he played previously. Before joining the Twins, Kepler played for Buchbinder Legionäre Regensburg in the Baseball-Bundesliga. A left-handed batter and thrower, Kepler holds the record for the most career home runs by a German-born player in MLB.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

2009: Signed with the Minnesota Twins

In 2009, at the age of 16, Max Kepler signed with the Minnesota Twins for US$800,000, which was the largest signing bonus given by an MLB franchise to a European-born player.

2010: American Debut

In 2010, Max Kepler made his American debut in the rookie level Gulf Coast League (GCL) with the GCL Twins.

2011: Promoted to Elizabethton Twins

In 2011, Max Kepler was promoted to the Elizabethton Twins of the Rookie-Advanced Appalachian League.

2012: Assigned to Elizabethton

For the 2012 season, Max Kepler was assigned to Elizabethton.

2013: Added to Twins 40-man Roster

After the 2013 season, the Twins added Max Kepler to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, and he was invited to spring training.

2013: Assigned to Cedar Rapids Kernels

In 2013, after an elbow injury delayed the start of his season, Max Kepler was assigned to the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Single–A Midwest League.

2014: Played for Fort Myers Miracle

In 2014, Max Kepler played for the Fort Myers Miracle of the High–A Florida State League.

September 21, 2015: Promotion to Major Leagues

On September 21, 2015, Max Kepler was promoted to the major leagues by the Minnesota Twins.

September 27, 2015: MLB Debut

On September 27, 2015, Max Kepler made his major league debut.

October 4, 2015: First MLB Hit

On October 4, 2015, Max Kepler recorded his first hit in Major League Baseball.

2015: MLB Debut

In 2015, Max Kepler made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Minnesota Twins.

2016: Joins Twins Major League Roster

In 2016, Max Kepler was promoted to the major leagues to replace the injured Danny Santana on April 10. Kepler was optioned to Rochester fifteen days later. On June 1, Kepler was recalled to replace the injured Miguel Sanó, and he began getting regular starts for the Twins in right field.

2017: Twins Reach Postseason

During the 2017 season, Max Kepler played in 147 games, hitting 19 home runs and had 69 RBI, helping the Twins reach the postseason for the first time since 2010. He went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk in the 2017 American League Wild Card Game, but the Twins were defeated by the New York Yankees.

2017: Opening Day Starter

In 2017, Max Kepler was an Opening Day starter for the first time, collecting a hit in his first at-bat of the season against the Kansas City Royals. Later in the season, on August 31, he became the second player in Twins history to have a walk-off hit by the pitch in a game against the Chicago White Sox.