Pirates insider brings Max Kepler's superior stats to Aaron Judge from 2020 into focus after Phillies' $10,000,000 acquisition
Major League Baseball outfielder Max Kepler was looking for a new team after the Minnesota Twins decided to not pick up a team option after the 2024 season. Kepler agreed a $10,000,000 deal with the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday after spending last season with the Twins.
Pittsburgh Pirates insider Dejan Kovacevic discussed that new deal and had some interesting comments on Kepler.
On "DK's Daily Shot of Pirates," Kovacevic said Kepler had better offensive stats than New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, pointing out their numbers from 2020.
"Over the last 162 games for each player, Max Kepler has more home runs, RBIs, and fewer strikeouts than Aaron Judge," Dejan Kovacevic said (1:50 onwards).
Kepler struggled during the 2024 season with the Minnesota Twins, while Aaron Judge led the Yankees to the World Series and was named MVP of the American League for the second time in his MLB career.
Max Kepler will be playing in the state of Pennsylvania during the 2024 season, but he will be in the AL East Division.
Max Kepler Signs With Surprising Team
MLB free agency is hard to figure out, and Kepler's signing with Philadelphia seemingly came out of nowhere. At the end of November, it appeared there were three potential landing spots for Kepler and the Phillies were not one of them. Things can change quickly for many teams, and the Phillies are going to give Kepler a chance to earn a spot.
Injuries are going to be a major concern for Kepler moving forward, and the Phillies will be hoping he remains healthy. He played in just 105 games a season ago, and the Phillies would not get $10 million out of him if that were to happen again. Philadelphia doesn't need Kepler to become a star with the team, but they do need to deepen their lineup.
Kepler's power numbers were down during the 2024 season as well, as he belted just eight home runs. Playing in a hitter's ballpark should help him improve those numbers, but Kepler has plenty to prove with this new deal.