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sixthwi -> RE: Players and prospects III (6/18/2015 9:20:14 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Mr. Ed
http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20150617&content_id=131361912&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb&sid=milb
Max Kepler will sleep like a baby based on his offensive output on Wednesday night.
The Twins' No. 15 prospect recorded his second straight four-hit game in Double-A Chattanooga's 8-4 loss to visiting Jacksonville.
Kepler got started quickly, leading off the second inning with a single and scoring on a single by Adam Brett Walker II, Minnesota's 13th-ranked prospect. Kepler picked up singles in his next two at-bats, plating a run in the fifth, before striking out in the eighth. The 22-year-old first baseman capped his night with an RBI single in the ninth.
"I've been seeing the ball pretty well," Kepler said. "I feel like I'm getting my foot down early, load and getting all that stuff out of the way, so I don't have much to think about; it's all coming fluid. All I have to do is see the ball, hit the ball, and it's working for me right now."
Kepler went 4-for-5 on Monday against Birmingham and is batting .619 (13-for-21) in his last six games. The German-born slugger has five multi-hit efforts to go with seven RBIs and seven runs scored over his last 10 contests.
"It's awesome," he said of his recent stretch. "I can sleep a lot better at night having a couple of hits under my belt and I'm even more pumped for the next game. I'm trying to stick with the mind-set that I have been, and even if I go 0-for-4 tomorrow I'll go back out there and swing the bat like I did the day before. I'm thankful for all the hits I'm getting right now, but I want to stay with the same focus and mentality."
Making the jump to Double-A for the first time in his career, Kepler has shown no signs of struggling against. He ranks second in the Southern League with a .923 OPS and third with a .331 batting average, crediting his stint in the Arizona Fall League last year for preparing him for more advanced pitching.
"Playing in the Fall League, I knew what to expect," Kepler said. "I have to lay off a lot of 2-1 breaking balls and stuff, when pitchers are trying to get you to chase. I'd say be more patient. They'll come after you when they feel like it, but they'll also try to get you to chase a lot."
One area in which Kepler has shown improvement is his production against left-handed pitching. He has an .828 OPS vs. southpaws in 77 Double-A at-bats, 137 points better than last year in Class A Advanced Florida State League.
"I think for some reason I've always thought that lefties are tougher to face and stuff, and I got rid of that thought this year," Kepler said. "It's just a ball coming from a different angle. I'm going to stick with that; it's working right now."
Lookouts starter Brett Lee allowed two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two over 6 1/3 innings but did not figure in the decision. Chattanooga fell short in a bid to clinch the first-half North Division title as Nick Burdi surrendered five runs on three hits and two walks without retiring a batter in the seventh.
Matt Juengel capped the Suns' eight-run seventh with a grand slam and Terrance Dayleg contributed a two-run double.
Blake Logan tossed 1 2/3 innings of perfect relief to improve to 3-2 for Jacksonville.
Wasn't too long ago that there was a question as to whether Kepler should be protected on the 40 man roster or not.
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