MINNEAPOLIS -- After helping Double-A Chattanooga win the Southern League championship on Monday night, Twins outfield prospect Max Kepler was rewarded by being called up to the big leagues for the first time in his career.
Kepler, considered the highest-profile prospect to be signed out of Europe in baseball history, was signed as an amateur free agent in 2009 out of Berlin, Germany, for $800,000. At the time, the bonus was the highest in history to be signed by a free agent from Europe, although it was eclipsed by the $1.3 million bonus the Royals gave Marten Gasparini in 2013.