Phillies’ new outfielder takes subtle dig at former Twins coaches
After spending his entire 10-year career in Minnesota, Max Kepler has found new life for himself in Philadelphia with hitting coach Kevin Long.
A slow offseason for the Philadelphia Phillies prompted possibly tamed expectations of what the club’s roster could end up looking like by Opening Day. One-year deals were given out exclusively and that resulted in outfielder Max Kepler being the Phillies’ biggest offensive addition to the lineup.
After the enormous buzz of Juan Soto had concluded, the Phillies had to get more realistic of what their options were to fill the holes in the roster. The Phillies are in unchartered territory with the payroll hitting an all-time high, so smaller signings had to suffice.
Kepler, now 32, spent all of his 10 big league seasons with the Minnesota Twins before hitting free agency. The Phillies then scooped him up on a one-year, $10 million deal, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki and Paul Casella. It’s a big change for him, also switching to left field, but given his time spent with the Phillies’ coaching staff, Kepler has already made changes for the better.
Max Kepler takes subtle dig at former Twins coaches after working with Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long
Kepler is looking to make a good impression, and while he had success playing with the Twins, he looks to be even better. Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long met with Kepler in Arizona for a few days in January to work on his hitting, and Kepler described the tweaks he made to his approach, according to Zolecki.
