Max Kepler was born on February 10, 1993, in Berlin, Germany. He attended the John F. Kennedy School before playing for Buchbinder Legionäre Regensburg in the Baseball-Bundesliga. The Minnesota Twins selected him in the 2011 draft. Kepler made his Major League Baseball debut on September 27, 2015. He earned the Twins Bill Boni Outstanding Rookie Award in 2016 and the Jim Kaat Defensive Player of the Year award in 2018. During his time in the minors, he received multiple honors, including the Baseball America Minor League All-Star selection and the SOU Most Valuable Player award in 2015. He also holds the record for the most career home runs by a German-born player. Kepler later played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He bats and throws left-handed.