What if This is the Max for Kepler?

Good pitchers also induce more K's and fewer walks.

 

There aren't that many good pitchers in the game to explain his poor hard hit rate. Besides, it's not like he's facing an ace every day. Pitch selection is certainly part of it, but it's certainly not all of it. He simply needs to learn to drive the ball. That's coachable. So is pitch selection for that matter.

Coachable eh? Check this out.

https://www.twincities.com/2018/03/05/max-kepler-wont-change-his-launch-angle-just-for-homers-sake/

This one is cool too.

http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins/max-kepler-looks-to-bonds-for-hitting-inspiration-r5406

Give these a read and let me know if you think no one has yet tried to coach him, then look at his stats again to see the results of said coaching.

I bet Brewers fans are glad their GM didn't think this way....

This week the Brewers fans might think that way. Next week, a couple of of years from now the fans might be complaining about how they won only one playoff series, they should have traded for an ace pitcher for those game sevens rather than some journeyman pitcher, and there was this OF that they could have gotten cheaply from the Twins  before he became a star if only they traded for him.

I like Kepler.  As things stand currently I would rather have a consistent above average Kepler than a Buxton/Sano who can't be counted on to be on the field and who knows what you get when they are?

Agreed.  Can't believe this is being debated already.  With all the problems Buxton and Sano have are people really thinking about throwing Kepler out while at the same time yelling at those that criticize Buxton and Sano?  Seems like a bit of a double standard.  Just glad they aren't managing this team.  At least Kepler has a pulse hitting wise.  Give Buxton, Sano and Kepler another season to turn it around.

Interesting articles, both of which I've seen. I don't really see how either suggests that he's not coachable or isn't working/listening to his coaches. It's possible that this is just who he is. That doesn't mean that he's not coachable.

 

For many players, getting the right message in the right manner means everything. The new staff could come in and work wonders with him. We don't know how that will play out yet.

Agree. Those articles suggest he’s actively trying to hit more line drives, which is what he needs to do. The last thing he needs is to get under more pitches for more pop ups.

Kepler appears to be making good adjustments at the plate.  If he can combine the best of his approaches to righties in 2017 and lefties in 2018 I think he takes the next step.  He is still young and improving.  This team is going nowhere anytime soon, you might as well wait and see while grooming his replacement..

I think what's concerning is he really isn't improving when it comes to his hit tool. OPS+ of 96, 95, 96 over the last three years is not encouraging. I'm not ready to give up on him by any means, but there's a legitimate concern that this may be who he is at the plate: a low average, reasonably patient hitter with some pop in his bat, but overall a below average hitter.

I hope he proves me wrong, but the lack of overall improvement at the MLB level is discouraging. He's not old, but after 3 years in MLB it's hard to go, "well, he's young".

Agreed. This is where the FO needs to make a judgment call. He still has 3 years of control left, which is valuable alone. If they keep him for 2019 and he remains a 95-96 OPS+ player his value is lower in November 2019 than it is right now.

I'm not confident he'll take the next step at the plate, hence why I'm beating the drum to trade him with a package of prospects to acquire a difference maker.

It's a difficult call, especially with Buxton's future uncertain and only about a half season of play from Jake Cave to evaluate. While there's a real risk that we've seen who Kepler is as a hitter, there's a significant risk that Cave can't replicate his production. Moving on from Kepler leaves the team vulnerable if Buxton or Cave can't hold down CF full-time by losing another guy who can be an asset out there.

I honestly don't know what the right play is here, but it's one of the most difficult ones the FO is facing, I think. 

I think the point was that Kepler could play CF with more certainty than Cave or Buxton at this point.....not about corner OFs.

Exactly, and that's why I wouldn't move him this winter. Kepler's bat is meh for me in RF but it plays up in CF if Buxton doesn't produce...and that's not that big of an 'if' at this point.

I'm in the "Buxton starts in AAA until he proves he can hit" camp. Kepler is then my tentative starting CF for '19.

 

If Buxton somehow figures out the bat and hits like he did for that magical 2 months... Kepler is the 4th outfielder and Cave goes bye bye. 

Huh?  Did I miss something?  If Kepler is 4th OF and Cave is bye bye, who is playing RF?

Pretty sure you missed the point......the Brewers didn't say "meh, our OF is fine".....they upgraded it with some certainty compared to what they had. None of that has anything to do with your post (i agree, they should have traded for pitching at the deadline).

There is no indication that the Brewers front office would think their outfield from 2017 was fine.  There is nothing out there that said the collection they used out there was a fine outfield. It was a below average outfield. That they had a couple of prospects in Brinson and Harrison that were at peak value and they got lucky and traded them, which  is to the FO's credit. You, and others ,might have thought the outfield was fine. The FO knew better.  They did what they could to improve it. Their OF would have been even better if the could have unloaded Braun, but you can't always do everything without a willing partner.

I think the issue is that Kepler’s floor is probably 95ish OPS+. We really have no idea what Cave’s might be and we saw how ugly Buxton’s floor is this year.

That's my point....does anyone think the MN OF is fine? I don't.....too many questions, not enough answers....but the post I was responding to with that post, clearly said the MN OF is fine...

What you responded to did not say the outfield was fine. Adding McCutheon and Marwin Gonzales because those players are the ones you can add would not transform the outfield into an elite one. They stated the of is not a position of strength. That is a true statement. It does not mean it is a fine outfield,  The reality is Rosario, Kepler and the other outfielders are the better payers on the team. 1b, 2b are anyone's guess  You could replace Kepler with Sano or Polanco for this thread.

I don't really see how either suggests that he's not coachable or isn't working/listening to his coaches. It's possible that this is just who he is. That doesn't mean that he's not coachable.

The article literally says a famous player coached him AND the Twins coached him, but in the end it was, "Nah, I'm not gonna do any of that, I gotta be me."

And the Twins coach accepted that response....

Since he's out of options, the Twins coaches can't make him do anything.