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Minnesota Twins: Three Reasons why Max Kepler will dominate again in 2020

By Otto Johnson

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 15: Max Kepler #26 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates as he crosses home plate after hitting a solo home run as Brad Boxberger #26 of the Kansas City Royals looks on during the fourth inning of the game on June 15, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Royals 5-4. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 15: Max Kepler #26 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates as he crosses home plate after hitting a solo home run as Brad Boxberger #26 of the Kansas City Royals looks on during the fourth inning of the game on June 15, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Royals 5-4. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Reason #1: Kepler’s Consistent Defensive Excellence

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 25: Max Kepler #26 of the Minnesota Twins makes a catch in center field of the ball hit by Victor Reyes #22 of the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of the game on August 25, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Teams are wearing special color schemed uniforms with players choosing nicknames to display for Players’ Weekend. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 25: Max Kepler #26 of the Minnesota Twins makes a catch in center field of the ball hit by Victor Reyes #22 of the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of the game on August 25, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Teams are wearing special color schemed uniforms with players choosing nicknames to display for Players’ Weekend. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Kepler has always been a strong defensive outfielder. His first three years in the league, Kepler consistently offered excellent defense in right field and was a solid defender in center as well. He consistently finished with a positive Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR), which indicates how many runs a player saved , while improving his fielding percentage every season. He worked hard throughout the seasons to remain an everyday player. But over the past two seasons, he got even better. And there are stats to back it up.

In 2018, Kepler’s UZR rating shot up to 10.8, an increase of over 8 points from the year before. This meant that Kepler saved 10.8 more runs than the average fielder. Kepler ranked third in the statistic among MLB outfielders, falling behind Mookie Betts and Jacoby Jones. Kepler became an elite defensive force in the game, leading the league in range with 9.7 (per RngR (Range Runs), a stat that tracks how good fielders are at getting to balls in their vicinity. His development track took the next step in 2019. A season after his defensive breakout, Kepler somehow got better. He upped his fielding percentage to a perfect 1.000, and increased his other defensive metrics. Kepler went on to finish second in UZR with a mark of 12.7, behind only Harrison Bader’s 12.9. His RngR led the league once again topped the MLB with a mark of 10.7. Every single one of his defensive number improved after an already dominant 2018, which is nearly impossible to complete.

Now that’s a lot of stats, but the most important thing to take from that is this: Max Kepler is really, REALLY good at defense. He passes the eye test, and the stats show he’s even better than he looks. Not only that, but he’s been getting better every season since he reached the majors full-time. That’s an important sign that the improvements he has made aren’t going anywhere any time soon.

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