2. Max Kepler
Brandon Marsh is an obvious candidate to be on shaky footing as he’s hitting a horrific .118 at the plate this season. However, Kepler has struggled at the plate this month after hitting .364 with two doubles, a home run, and an RBI in March (three games).
Granted, it was a small sample size in March, but things have not improved as the calendar flips to April. Kepler saw his batting average go from .364 to .200 heading into Sunday’s series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Through 10 games this month, the veteran outfielder is slashing .147/.237/.147 with four walks and six strikeouts. Kepler also has an OPS of .384 midway through this month, which the Phillies hope he will turn around.
Kepler was hitless in the Dodgers’ series earlier this month (0-for-10) but somewhat bounced back against the Braves, going 2-for-10. However, the 32-year-old outfielder couldn’t carry that momentum into the Cardinals series, going 0-for-7 with three strikeouts in the first two games.
In the offseason, the Phillies signed Kepler to a one-year, $10 million deal to be their everyday left fielder as they try to figure out what to do in centerfield with Marsh and Johan Rojas.
The good news for Kepler is that he still has time to figure things out, as things haven’t gotten bad like they have for Marsh and Bohm. However, with Kepler only playing on a one-year deal, he needs to be more consistent at the plate as he can bring some pop to the bottom or the order.
As of right now, the veteran outfielder is 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position, six runs scored, four walks, and a strikeout. That won’t cut it, especially with the guys that Kepler has hitting in front of him.