Max Kepler came over to the United States from Germany in 2009 as a scrawny 16-year-old with intriguing yet raw baseball skills.
It was quite the contrast from the lean, muscular specimen that flat-out dominated the Southern League last summer before debuting in the majors in September.

Age: 23 (DOB: 2/10/93)
2015 Stats (A+/AA): 118 G, .318/.410/.520
ETA: 2016
2015 Ranking: 12
National Rankings
BA: 30 | MLB: 44 | BP: 60
What's To Like
To me, Kepler has to be viewed as the most impressive international signing in franchise history. The Twins scouted and signed a kid at age 16 out of Germany, a country (and continent) that has yielded few major-league players. They gave him $800,000 on the hope that his small teenage frame would fill out into a powerful build, and that his premium innate athleticism and coordination would translate to results on the field.
Regardless of what happens going forward, what he did last year at Chattanooga proved their assessment and investment astute. He has developed into exactly the type of player that the organization wishfully envisioned some seven years ago.
At that point, Kepler was a smallish kid and his offensive numbers while adapting to the pro ranks reflected that. Between his first two seasons in rookie ball, he hit one total home run in 87 games, posting a .356 slugging percentage. But he showed a good approach at the plate, especially for his age, and that remained true while he gradually climbed the ladder.
Even with some promising signs and productive stretches, though, Kepler gave little hint in his first five seasons of what was coming in 2015. While making the jump from Single-A to Double-A, which many consider to be the toughest transition in the minors, Kepler thrived. Actually, that's putting it quite mildly.
His .947 OPS led the Southern League by more than 40 points, and was almost 250 points above the league average. He batted .322 and filled the stat sheet with 32 doubles, 13 triples, nine homers and 18 steals on 22 attempts. He struck out only 63 times in 482 PA and drew 67 walks. Facing left-handers, previously a prominent weakness in his game, was no issue; he had an even better average against them than righties.
Suddenly, Kepler was showing no real vulnerabilities at the plate, and it basically made him slump-proof. During one ridiculous 11-day stretch in June, he batted over .500 with five triples and five steals. This is a guy who has never really been known for his speed, mind you. The 22-year-old was just dominating on a level that is rarely seen.
Granted, it's just one season. But for various reasons, it's hard to look at it as a fluke. This kid can play.
What's Left To Work On
It's tough to find any real flaws in Kepler's performance last year. He was constantly a steady force at the plate and his glove work received positive reviews at first base and all three outfield positions. What he needs to do now is back it up.
If Kepler had consistently been hitting the way he did last year, he'd be one of the top prospects in the game. However, that is not the case. The only time prior to last year that he had topped a .736 OPS at any level was in 2012 when he was repeating at Elizabethton as a 19-year-old. He's very likely to open this season at Triple-A, the final stage he must master before graduating to the majors full-time.
Then it's just a matter of proving it against big-league pitchers. If there's one thing that I've seen scouts continue to criticize regarding Kepler (and I think there might only be one thing), it's that he still sometimes has trouble picking up spin and reading breaking balls. This figures to be his biggest test at the highest level.
What's Next
Under different circumstances, Kepler would be heading to camp with a very real chance of winning a big-league job. But with Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano lined up in the outfield corners (not to mention Oswaldo Arcia out of options), and with center not really being Kepler's ideal spot, he's most likely going to have to wait.
Minnesota's depth in the outfield gives them the luxury of continuing to take it slow with the young outfielder. If we reach July and he's clobbering Triple-A pitching, though, it will create some urgency to make room for him... or to dangle him as trade bait for a major midseason upgrade.

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Check out the previous installments in Twins Daily's Top 10 Prospect Countdown

TD Top Prospect #10: Nick Burdi
TD Top Prospect #9: Kohl Stewart
TD Top Prospect #8: Alex Meyer
TD Top Prospect #7: Jorge Polanco
TD Top Prospect #6: Stephen Gonsalves
TD Top Prospect #5: Tyler Jay
TD Top Prospect #4: Nick Gordon