Max Kepler, a prominent German outfielder and first baseman for the Minnesota Twins, made his Major League debut on September 27, 2015. As of August 2022, Kepler held a batting average of .232. While Max has made a name for himself in baseball, his sister Emma Rozycki Kepler has also led an impressive life.
Who is Emma Rozycki-Kepler?
Emma Rozycki Kepler is a former golf prodigy and a supportive sibling to Max Kepler. Both Emma and Max attended John F. Kennedy School in Berlin. Emma, who prefers to keep her personal life private, has been a constant pillar of support in her brother’s baseball career.
Maximilian Kepler-Różycki, better known as Max Kepler, was born on February 10, 1993, in Berlin, Germany. His parents, Kathy Kepler and Marek Różycki, were both professional ballet dancers. Max began playing baseball at the young age of six through the Little League at John F. Kennedy School. Although he received a scholarship to the Steffi Graf Tennis Foundation at seven, he ultimately chose to pursue baseball.
Max attended the John F. Kennedy School and later the St. Emmeram Academy in Regensburg in 2008, where he could train extensively in baseball. He also played association football with Hertha BSC and baseball for Buchbinder Legionäre Regensburg in the Bundesliga, Germany’s top baseball league. Max was discovered by Andy Johnson, an international scout for the Minnesota Twins, during a junior national tournament when he was just 14.
At 16, Max signed with the Twins in 2009 for $800,000, the highest signing bonus ever given to a European-born player by an MLB franchise. He debuted in America at the rookie level in the 2010 Gulf Coast League with the GCL Twins. By 2011, he had moved up to the Elizabethton Twins of the Rookie-Advanced Appalachian League. An elbow injury delayed his start in 2013 with the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Class A Midwest League.
Following the 2013 season, the Twins added Max to their 40-man roster, and he was invited to spring training. In 2014, Max played for the Fort Myers Miracle of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League and started the 2015 season with the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Class AA Southern League.
The Twins promoted Max to the major leagues on September 21, 2015, just after the Lookouts won the Southern League championship. He made his major league debut on September 27, 2015, and recorded his first hit on October 4, 2015. Max Kepler became the second German-developed player, following Donald Lutz, to play in the modern Major Leagues.
Emma Rozycki-Kepler continues to be a private yet pivotal figure in Max Kepler’s life, demonstrating unwavering support for her brother’s flourishing baseball career.
